Pepco restores power in Northwest after underground equipment fire

WASHINGTON - Power has been fully restored to residents and businesses in D.C.'s West End and South Dupont neighborhoods after a massive outage left hundreds in the dark following an underground equipment failure, officials said Sunday.

Power restored after days-long outage

A Pepco spokesperson told FOX 5 that power had returned to all by 9:30 a.m. and the utility company's outage map on its website reflected the changes. 

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto confirmed the restoration in a social media update, thanking Pepco crews for working around the clock. 

"I am so sorry for all of the hardship this has caused our community and hope everyone is safe and warm today," Pinto said.

The backstory:

The outage began Friday when an underground equipment failure led to an explosion and fire on the 2100 block of M Street NW. 

The damage was extensive, impacting multiple electrical circuits, which made restoration efforts complex.

Pepco initially reported that about 360 customers were affected, but by Saturday night, that number had climbed to approximately 750. Crews worked through the weekend, restoring service to more than 160 customers before announcing that full restoration was expected by Sunday night.

During the outage, Pepco provided warming and charging stations at the West End Library, and backup generators were brought in to help restore power to some customers sooner.

With power now fully restored, officials say backup generators will be removed shortly. 

Residents are encouraged to report any lingering issues directly to Pepco.