“Dear PoPville,
I discovered this device attached to a rafter in the basement of our older, recently purchased home in DC. An electrician doing work on other things in our home said he thought it looked like an old-school phone bell and didn’t include any active electrical wires we’d need to worry about. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Was wondering if anyone has any idea what the hell this is? Had it randomly appear in front of my house near H Street Corridor the other day.”
Ed. Note: Looks like that will be a space for scooter parking.
Ed. Note: Back in July 2018 we reported a similar huge blast in Columbia Heights that took out a newspaper box.
NS reported: “Saw a huge flash followed immediately by a huge boom that shook me on my couch. At 14 & Irving facing the alley way.”
Many, many others confirm: “Just heard big explosion in Columbia Heights DC at 10:37pm”
“my ears are ringing and my head is throbbing. it happened in my alley in columbia heights.”
“Same, shook on the couch, also facing that alley. Didn’t see flash as blinds were closed.”
“there was smoke in the back alley behind cardoza unity health”
“that was insane”
DCFD investigated but “A short time ago, #DCsBravest investigated a report of an explosion heard in the Columbia Heights area. A search of the neighborhood found no evidence of an explosion or fire.”
In conclusion: (more…)
At the end of March we got tons of reports that a crazy siren blasted around U Street/14th Street that sounded just like the one from the movie The Purge.
To complete the dystopian picture, this ambulance coming down 14th St in DC has got an air raid siren on. pic.twitter.com/zkRvxoiPPh
— Inez Stepman (@InezFeltscher) March 31, 2020
Well, funny thing about that – it was from the movie The Purge!! Thanks to all who forwarded on the report from Dcist:
“The authenticity of the footage was confirmed by American Medical Response, the private ambulance company contracted by the city to assist with 911 calls.
The company went on to say, “Once the video was posted, AMR management received two resignations before an investigation could be conducted.”
If I could find the right emoji I’d insert it here. Oh well this’ll have to do for me:
“But please remember: this is only a work of fiction. The truth, as always, will be far stranger.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
Amazing!! Thanks to Sean for sending from Petworth:
“Day 15…. There are 2 random chickens in our front yard… in DC…”
If you spot a hawk or any interesting wildlife around town, lunching or otherwise, and get a good photo please send where you spotted it to [email protected] and I’ll add it to the queue. Hawks around Town is made possible by a generous grant from the Ben and Sylvia Gardner foundation.
To complete the dystopian picture, this ambulance coming down 14th St in DC has got an air raid siren on. pic.twitter.com/zkRvxoiPPh
— Inez Stepman (@InezFeltscher) March 31, 2020
Got tons of messages about this – apparently it’s a new type of siren on an ambulance – thanks to Inez for sharing just how unusual it sounded.
Thanks to John for sending:
“This has gone too far. No idea what this thing is, but it has 8 legs and is not a Daddy Longlegs. It’s at least 4 inches long and is menacing me from the corner of my bedroom.”
Thanks to Kelsey for sending:
“This just popped up over Georgetown/Rosslyn ish area. Haven’t noticed it before. Looks like it’s starting to be lowered already. Any idea what it is?”
At first I thought it’d be the imagining balloon we often see but this balloon looks a bit different. Anyone else see this one?
Thanks to all who messaged us about this slightly unsettling scene last night:
Anyone hear a loud, high-piercing, one-note siren in Dupont around 18th and S St, NW that lasted around 5 minutes just now? Was it a building alarm?
— PoPville (@PoPville) March 23, 2020
Apparently it was just a siren that was malfunctioning from a firetruck. Good thing we bought all that toilet paper.
A reader reports 12:45pm: “Someone on the tracks of the red line between Judy square and union station. He’s walking.
Just shut down third rail power. The train stopped for a minute or so when he got on the rail, and the conductor starting shouting through the PA system to get off the rail. Before that they had the lights on in the tunnel and were following him at a walking pace as he walked along the rail. I didn’t see him on the platform, and he disappeared like 100 yards before getting to union station. It turns out he got out on the platform and went up and out onto Mass ave.