Smoke plume rises over downtown DC after bus catches fire

Published April 23, 2026 9:06pm ET | Updated April 23, 2026 9:06pm ET



A bus caught fire in downtown Washington, D.C., sending a plume of smoke above the district.

A spokeswoman for the district fire department told the Washington Examiner that the bus caught fire in the 9th Street tunnel, but that no casualties were reported. The fire was quickly brought under control.

Smoke from a bus fire.
Smoke from a bus fire rises above Washington, D.C, on Thursday, April 23, 2026. (Christine Valora/Washington Examiner)

The fire occurred inside the tunnel, clogging it with smoke. Video from the tunnel entrance showed several fire trucks waiting outside, with black smoke billowing out.

The pillar of black smoke covered much of the Capitol Hill area.

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Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said the transportation agency was responding to the fire. The bus had no passengers at the time of the fire, WJLA reported, and the bus driver escaped unharmed.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.