Update 12/12/20: The surveillance camera of a neighbor in the 1200 block of C Street SE captured the entire situation, where it was clear that a couple of juveniles set the rocket off improperly. The neighbor whose footage it is wants his privacy respected at this time and declined to share a still from his footage. But there you have it!
Update, 12:41 p.m.: According to a reader, there is confirmed footage from a C Street neighbor’s security camera that captured kids setting off some fireworks and a rocket at the intersection of 13th and C Streets SE. It seems the rocket did not fly upwards but instead went on a sideways pattern, which led to the loud noise. More updates as we know them.
Several readers have contacted us via Instagram regarding an explosion they heard in the area around Walter Street and the 1200-1400 blocks of South Carolina Avenue, SE. Reader Amanda Mason responded right away to an instagram story asking for more information:
Reader Amelia Huckins said the blast scared her and her dogs indoors. She sent along PoPVille’s post tackling the question. Within the post, there are several theories as to what could have caused the loud bang, but no direct links to video footage or other informations. So I went ahead and called the DCFD Public Information Office (PIO) and this is what they told me:
It seems that someone in the vicinity of 1221 C Street SE placed a call stating that “an explosion had been heard,” which was received around 10:17 p.m. DCFD dispatched a truck at 10:19 p.m. and they searched the area but could not find any indication of what could have caused the explosion. The truck returned from the call at 10:46 p.m. While there was no actual cause found in the search, the PIO mentioned that transformers are often responsible for loud noises, but as the investigation yielded nothing, he couldn’t confirm that they were the cause of the noise. Since here on the Hill our transformers are buried underground, there may not be evidence of anything– that is, until someone loses power. You can read a little more about transformers here.
There were a couple of readers who seemed to think the loud noise was caused by fireworks, set off by kids. The DCFD PIO also offered that by way of explanation but had no further official comment. If you have footage of this, please share it so we can solve this mystery– otherwise, it looks like we may have our answer: Transformers. (More than meets the eye.)