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Scattered power outages in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday cut electricity to several government buildings, including the White House, State Department, U.S. Capitol and Justice Department.
D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokeswoman Robyn Johnson told the Associated Press an explosion at a southern Maryland power plant is to blame for the outage, which affected 8,000 customers in the District.
There was no indication of terrorism in the outage, U.S. government officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
At the White House, backup generators kicked on when the power went out, so the interruption lasted only a few seconds, reports the Associated Press.
The State Department’s daily news briefing was suspended after power was lost, and the U.S. Capitol complex was operating using a backup generator, reports Reuters.
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Some metro stations in Washington were running on emergency lighting, according to the city’s transportation authority.
The outage also disrupted a speech by Oprah Winfrey at D.C.’s Warner Theatre during the unveiling of a Maya Angelou postage stamp. First lady Michelle Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder were in attendance.
The National Portrait Gallery, the Air and Space Museum and others were evacuated, the Smithsonian Institution said in a tweet.
The central offices of D.C. Public Schools are also affected, Chancellor Kaya Henderson wrote on Twitter.
The University of Maryland reports a campus-wide power outage and some students are said to be trapped in elevators.
The State Department suffered a similar outage on Dec. 15, which was blamed on construction at the time.
