A “flash fire” mysteriously ignited on top of a streetcar in D.C. sometime around 11:45 p.m Saturday. The incident happened on the 2.2-mile-long H Street/Benning Road NE streetcar line. The streetcar operator was not injured. After the streetcar caught fire, it went into a fail-safe mode and stopped. The faulty streetcar was towed back to the yard, and another one was put into testing and ran without issue. According to the District’s Department of Transportation, this was an isolated incident. This is the latest in a string of problems and delays. Officials plan on launching a full inspection of the system that will include participation from the streetcar’s manufacturer. Earlier on Saturday at about 10:00 p.m., another streetcar sideswiped and damaged a nearby car. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
