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Washington, D.C., Power Failure Affects More Than 30,000 Customers Washington, D.C., Power Failure Affects More Than 30,000 Customers
(about 1 hour later)
An electrical equipment failure knocked out power to about 39,000 customers in Washington as temperatures reached the low 90s on Saturday, with most of those affected reported to be in the northwest quadrant of the nation’s capital, Potomac Electric Power Company officials said. Most of the 39,000 customers who lost electricity in a power failure in Washington on Saturday had their service restored after about four hours, officials said.
Company officials did not have an estimate for when power would be restored. As of 6:30 p.m., 5,500 customers were still without power, according to Potomac Electric Power Company.
As of 5:45 p.m., 25,000 customers still had no power, according to the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, which was urging motorists and pedestrians to exercise caution at intersections with no traffic signals and treat them as four-way stops. Frank Tedesco, a spokesman for the company, attributed the failure to an issue with electrical equipment at its Florida Avenue substation. Officials did not know the cause of the blackout or whether it was related to the heat. Temperatures were in the low 90s around 2:30 p.m. when the power went out.
Frank Tedesco, a spokesman for Potomac Electric Power Company, said the company had pinpointed the source of the problem. “There appears to be an issue with electrical equipment at our Florida Avenue substation,” he said.
The company said most of the customers affected were in the Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. The White House was unaffected by the power failure.The company said most of the customers affected were in the Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. The White House was unaffected by the power failure.
The electric company said it did not know what caused the equipment to fail or whether it was related to the heat. The city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency urged motorists and pedestrians to exercise caution at intersections with no traffic signals and to treat them as four-way stops.
Social media posts showed city firefighters responding to a building where a person was trapped inside an elevator, and others showed passengers waiting on the platform for the Metro.Social media posts showed city firefighters responding to a building where a person was trapped inside an elevator, and others showed passengers waiting on the platform for the Metro.
Around 2:45 p.m., firefighters began responding to calls about smoking backup generators and automatic fire alarms, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman with the DC Fire and EMS Department.Around 2:45 p.m., firefighters began responding to calls about smoking backup generators and automatic fire alarms, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman with the DC Fire and EMS Department.
While no injuries were reported, three hospitals, Howard University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center and Children’s National were affected. Mr. Maggiolo said some of the calls for stalled elevators came from Washington Hospital Center. While no injuries were reported, three hospitals, Howard University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center and Children’s National, were affected. Mr. Maggiolo said some of the calls for stalled elevators came from Washington Hospital Center.
A representative at Howard University Hospital said it had been relying on backup generators since approximately 2:25 p.m. Two of the city’s cooling centers — the Banneker and Columbia Heights community centers — closed because of the power failure.
Two of the city’s cooling centers — the Banneker and Columbia Heights community centers — were closed because of the power failure. A list of cooling centers that remained open was on the city’s website.
Mark McDevitt, who lives in the Shaw neighborhood, said he was sitting in a coffee shop when the power went out.Mark McDevitt, who lives in the Shaw neighborhood, said he was sitting in a coffee shop when the power went out.
“We could see that if went off across the street,” he said. “And then a couple of business owners around the block came in to chat with one another.” “We could see that it went off across the street,” he said. “And then a couple of business owners around the block came in to chat with one another.”
Mr. McDevitt said the city felt “normal” despite the lack of power, but said he was hearing lots of sirens.Mr. McDevitt said the city felt “normal” despite the lack of power, but said he was hearing lots of sirens.
Officer Hugh Carew, a spokesman for the Police Department, said traffic was not significantly affected and that he was aware of only one traffic light that was out.
The subway was running normally, the Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said on Twitter.
“Our air-conditioner is pretty loud, so that’s what woke me up, when that stopped,” said Kerry Stotler, a resident. She said the power was restored about an hour after it went out.“Our air-conditioner is pretty loud, so that’s what woke me up, when that stopped,” said Kerry Stotler, a resident. She said the power was restored about an hour after it went out.
Reporting was contributed by Peter Baker, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Zach Montague and Derrick Bryson Taylor.Reporting was contributed by Peter Baker, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Zach Montague and Derrick Bryson Taylor.