Photo by @MeisnereCMP

It’s time for some tasty scuttlenot! Readers of Prince of Petworth are currently looking at a photo showing that the new escalators at the southern entrance to the Dupont Circle Metro station are currently out of service. Are the new “transit-grade” moving staircases failing already, after eight months of construction and just six days of operation?

Not quite.

The escalators went offline for a little while, but not because of any mechanical failure. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel tells DCist that the station’s fire alarm went off, triggering an automatic shutdown of the escalators. Otherwise, Stessel says the units have been operating normally.

Perhaps more reassuringly, Stessel also says it was a false alarm, and personnel were dispatched to reset the station’s alert system.

Meanwhile, technicians from the escalators’ manufacturer, the Swiss corporation Schindler, are observing the units all week checking for flaws.