Blackout on Capitol Hill: Washington Loses Power

By Polly Mosendz 4/7/15 at 6:46 PM

A U.S. Secret Service Uniform Division patrol vehicle blocks eastbound traffic at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue after an electrical blackout affected the White House and other government buildings in the area April 7, 2015 in Washington, DC. The temporary power outage affected the U.S. State Department, the Department of Energy, the University of Maryland in College Park and other areas in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Filed Under: U.S.

Washington D.C. was hit with a power outage Tuesday afternoon that affected the White House, Justice Department and State Department, according to a number of social media reports. Backup generators were used to regain power at the White House and United States Capitol Building. "The Department continues to carry out its essential functions throughout the outage," State Department acting deputy spokesman Jeff Rathke told Newsweek.
An official told the Associated Press there was an explosion at a power plant in Maryland. Reuters reported the explosion was not the cause of malicious intent or foul play.
At least 8,000 people were affected by the outage. Pepco, the local electrical company, told the AP they are investigating the outage.