Buildings around Penn Quarter lost power Thursday evening after a gas line ruptured during construction at the Hotel Harrington, according to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department.
Fire Department officials said in a social media post that, because of the rupture’s severity, crews had to shut off power at the hotel at 436 11th St. NW, which impacted surrounding blocks. The post added that Pepco was working to restore power.
According to Pepco’s website, 12 active outages in the area surrounding the hotel were reportedly affecting 39 customers at the time of publication, with outages expected to be restored from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
D.C. Fire shut down several roads after the gas leak. Officials closed the 400 to 500 blocks of 11th St. NW, between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue; the 1100 block of E Street NW, between 11th and 12th streets; and the 1100 block of F Street NW, between 11th Street and 12th Street.
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The D.C. Council posted on social media that electricity had been cut to several buildings, including the John A. Wilson Building, which houses the council, and that traffic in the area was also disrupted.
The Hotel Harrington, which opened in 1914, was the District’s longest-running hotel until its closure three years ago. A California private equity firm bought the hotel in July for $14.4 million and has been renovating the property, the Washington Business Journal reported.
D.C. Fire and Pepco did not respond to requests for comment.
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