A power outage disrupted Washington, D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood and surrounding downtown areas on Monday, November 2, affecting approximately 1,176 Pepco customers as emergency crews responded to reports of smoke emerging from underground electrical infrastructure. Firefighters and utility personnel converged near the 1800 block of H Street NW, an area containing federal offices, international institutions and George Washington University facilities. Initial reports also described a possible underground explosion near the World Bank headquarters, although authorities had not conclusively confirmed the circumstances of that incident.

D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel investigated reports of smoke emerging from multiple utility manholes as Pepco crews worked to identify the source of the electrical disruption. Emergency vehicles and utility personnel were observed along the affected roadway, where responders assessed conditions around underground infrastructure. Local television station WJLA documented the response, showing emergency crews gathered near service vehicles and a restricted section of the street.

Additional reporting described a possible manhole explosion directly outside the World Bank building. The Economic Times reported the incident alongside the wider power outage, although an official determination of whether an explosion occurred was not available. The reports raised questions about potential damage to underground electrical equipment, but investigators had not publicly established whether the smoke and reported explosion resulted from a single equipment failure or separate incidents.

The disruption affected a section of Northwest Washington containing major government and international facilities. George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom campus is located nearby, while the World Bank and other institutions operate offices throughout the surrounding blocks. Reports also raised the possibility of interruptions at federal facilities, including State Department offices, but the extent of any operational disruption had not been independently confirmed.

Pepco dispatched crews to investigate the affected distribution network and restore electricity to customers. The utility’s initial outage information indicated that approximately 1,176 customers had lost service, although that figure represented an earlier snapshot rather than a confirmed number of customers still without power. No incident-specific restoration timeline or final assessment of the affected infrastructure could be independently established from the latest information available.

The cause of the outage remained under investigation, with officials yet to publicly confirm whether a transformer, underground cable or other electrical component was responsible. Reports of a possible substation malfunction had not been substantiated by a definitive statement from Pepco. The extent of damage to underground infrastructure, if any, also remained unclear.

No injuries had been confirmed in the reporting reviewed. Emergency responders continued evaluating the circumstances surrounding the smoke reports, while outstanding questions included the precise cause of the electrical failure, whether an underground explosion occurred, and how extensively nearby institutions were affected. A verified final restoration status had not been established.