Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Fire Capitol Subway Sparks Evacuation Amid Rising Political Tensions
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Capitol Hill — the U.S. seat of Congress and legislative center of American government — faced fresh drama Thursday when a small electrical fire broke out in the underground subway system connecting the Rayburn House Office Building to the U.S. Capitol, forcing evacuations.
Rayburn is one of the most critical congressional buildings, home to key committees, and the blaze briefly shut down the tunnel as firefighters raced to the scene.
Reporters were ushered off Capitol Plaza as smoke filled parts of the tunnel, with a Capitol Police officer warning: “There’s a fire down there, we can’t have you breathing smoke.”
The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC Fire and EMS) Department said the blaze was quickly extinguished; however, the tunnel remained closed while investigators examined the damage.
Two U.S. Capitol Police officers were transported to a hospital for evaluation after being exposed to smoke, authorities said. No passengers aboard the trolley were reported injured.
The fire occurred on the trolley line that shuttles lawmakers and staff between congressional office buildings and the Capitol — a system that has operated for decades beneath the seat of American democracy.
TENSIONS FLARE OVER VIDEO CONTROVERSY
The fire incident unfolded as tensions flared on Capitol Hill over a video released earlier Thursday by six Democratic lawmakers, who urged U.S. military personnel to “refuse illegal orders,” even if issued by President Donald J. Trump.
Trump reacted angrily on his Truth Social platform, writing that encouraging troops to defy orders was “punishable by death.”
House Democratic leadership condemned the lawmakers’ message and contacted Capitol Police to “ensure the safety” of members singled out in the president’s posts.
The fire, though unrelated, added to the sense of chaos gripping Congress as political divisions sharpened.
Witnesses on Capitol Hill posted video footage on social media showing a stationary trolley car in a smoke-filled tunnel, with scorch marks near the electrical line.
FOX 5 DC network reporter Allison Papson wrote on platform X that the incident “started with an electrical fire on the subway” and was extinguished using fire extinguishers before DC Fire and EMS crews arrived to conduct a safety investigation.
POLICE OFFICERS BEING EVALUATED
DC Fire and EMS said on X that two people were being evaluated for minor injuries — the two Capitol Police officers later taken to the hospital — but emphasized that no one riding the trolley was harmed.
Police briefly blocked access to the tunnel, and Independence Avenue was closed for several hours as emergency crews worked to ventilate the area.
By 6 p.m. local time, officials declared all smoke cleared, and emergency personnel began reopening the area to the public.
The cause of the electrical malfunction remained under investigation late Thursday, with Capitol maintenance crews inspecting the subway system.
Yet the incident did little to ease lawmakers’ appetite to battle over Trump administration policies, and political rhetoric in Washington continued to grow increasingly contentious.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
At least 44 people have died in Hong Kong after a massive fire engulfed several residential apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po on Wednesday afternoon, with authorities confirming that three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Dozens more are in critical condition, and another 279 people are missing, city leader John Lee has said.
Local Christians and other sources say rescuers have found more bodies in the search for dozens of people buried under landslides or swept away after torrential rains unleashed flash floods and triggered landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, increasing the death toll to 23 and leaving more than two dozen people missing.
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki says his country “will not succumb to the terror of rainbow rulings” after the European Union’s highest court ruled that Poland and other member states that ban same-sex marriages must recognize such partnerships if they were “lawfully concluded in another member state.”
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is widely expected to travel to Moscow on Friday for high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, according to several Ukrainian, European, and Hungarian sources.
Two West Virginia National Guard members were critically wounded Wednesday afternoon in an ambush-style shooting just two blocks from the White House, triggering lockdowns, heavy police presence, and an immediate expansion of federal troop deployments in Washington, D.C.
Four Christian brick-kiln workers have been abducted in Pakistan’s Punjab province after demanding the payment of their lawful wages from their Muslim employer, investigators told Worthy News Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump claims Russia is “making concessions” in talks to end the Ukraine war and says Kyiv is “happy” about progress toward a possible peace agreement after nearly four years of fighting.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com