A power outage in Washington, D.C., disrupted several government facilities and parts of downtown Monday morning after an incident at an electrical substation in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood left approximately 1,176 customers without electricity. The affected area includes the headquarters of the U.S. Department of State, George Washington University, and other federal offices.

The State Department confirmed that multiple facilities experienced an unexpected loss of electrical power. A department official said that the buildings were "experiencing an unscheduled loss of electrical power." The department said it was coordinating with Potomac Electric Power Co., commonly known as Pepco, as officials investigated the disruption.

The outage also affected traffic signals and other infrastructure in the surrounding area, creating disruptions for motorists and pedestrians in downtown Washington. Pepco said the incident occurred at its I Street Substation in Foggy Bottom and initially affected approximately 1,100 customers. Local reports later placed the number of affected customers at roughly 1,176.

The electrical disruption prompted an emergency response after reports of smoke emerging from several manholes in the 1800 block of H Street NW, near the Farragut West Metro station. D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to investigate the smoke while Pepco crews assessed the electrical equipment and worked to determine what had happened.

"Pepco on scene to assist with power surge and electrical outages in the area," D.C. Fire and EMS said in a post on X.

Pepco confirmed that crews were responding to an event at the substation and working to restore electricity. The utility initially said the precise cause remained under investigation and that it could not provide an estimated restoration time while crews assessed conditions. Later reports identified a substation failure as the probable cause, although the investigation was continuing.

"We understand how disruptive an outage can be, and we appreciate our customers' patience as our crews work to restore service safely," the company said in a statement.

The outage affected an important section of the capital, where federal government operations, diplomatic offices, university buildings and major transportation routes are concentrated. The State Department's main headquarters is located in Foggy Bottom, making the disruption particularly notable given the number of government facilities in the area.

Officials had not announced whether the loss of electricity forced any changes to diplomatic operations or other government activities. No injuries had been reported in connection with the incident, and authorities had not announced evidence of sabotage or another deliberate act. The cause of the electrical failure remained subject to investigation.

Pepco urged residents and visitors to avoid areas where emergency personnel and utility crews were working. The company said its crews were focused on assessing the damage and restoring electricity while taking precautions to ensure the repairs could be completed safely.