The 200 Block to 400 Block of Pennsylvania Avenue., SE has been closed since about 8 a.m. due to the two-alarm fire at Capitol Lounge. That’s right, the same Capitol Lounge that burned almost completely to the ground just about exactly two years ago. Talk about bad luck.
NBC4 is reporting the fire started in an outside dumpster and spread to the Capitol Lounge building and four other buildings. The 2005 fire was set by a cigarette left by a Cap Lounge employee, and it took a little over three months for the bar to reopen later that year. Firefighters are still battling the blaze down there, so we’ll update as we learn more about what caused the fire and how bad the damage is.