Alarms rang near the White House, with a large number of fire trucks gathering, and police inside the building looked tense!
On the afternoon of November 20, a fire broke out in Washington D.C. center, located within the underground light rail system connecting the Capitol Building and the Rayburn House Office Building. Although the incident site was about 1.5 kilometers away from the White House, due to its location in the federal core area, the event quickly triggered a high level of alert.
According to the initial notice released by the Washington Fire and Emergency Medical Services, a fire alarm was received at 14:23 on that day, with the fire originating in the tunnel section of the Capitol Metro system. This system is a closed transportation network exclusively used by members of Congress and their staff for commuting, with a total length of approximately 1.6 kilometers and multiple stations, including the Capitol Building, the Hart Senate Office Building, and the Rayburn House Office Building.
In less than 10 minutes, at least 12 fire trucks, 4 ladder trucks, and 3 hazardous materials disposal vehicles arrived at the scene. Video footage showed that the roads around the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street were quickly sealed off, with multiple police SUVs and federal police vehicles maintaining order on site. The Capitol Police Department immediately activated the "Orange Response Level," the second highest alert level, just below a full lockdown.
According to a spokesperson from the Capitol Police Department, there were no people trapped in the tunnel at the time of the incident, but for safety reasons, approximately 800 staff members in the Rayburn Building were temporarily evacuated to the adjacent Cannon House Office Building. The entire evacuation process lasted about 45 minutes, during which no casualties were reported. Fire departments used thermal imaging equipment to scan the interior of the tunnel and deployed two professional rescue teams to conduct inspections.
It is worth noting that this light rail system has experienced multiple technical failures since its commissioning in 1909, with the last major maintenance occurring in 2022 when it was shut down for three weeks due to aging tracks. The preliminary determination of the cause of the fire is an electrical equipment short circuit, and specific details are still under investigation. It is not yet known whether it was caused by human factors or a natural accident.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849363207360576/
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