Cable Failure Stirs False Alarm Near White House

An underground electric power cable failed near the White House early Thursday, causing initial reports of an explosion, officials said. There were no injuries or evacuations, a fire official said.

“It was a malfunction on the cable under ground. We call it a cable fault,” said Steve Arabie, a spokesman for Potomac Electric Power Co. “It could very well have been accompanied by small explosions, just because that’s the word people understand. It’s really just loud pops.”