Washington, DC: Reported Explosion Damages Park View Home, Neighbors Evacuated on Kenyon Street

A reported explosion damaged a home in the Park View neighborhood of Washington, DC, late Tuesday night and forced neighbors out of nearby houses while police, fire crews and federal agents checked the block for hazards.

Officers responded shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, to the 500 block of Kenyon Street NW, where they observed property damage to a residence, FOX 5 reported. WUSA9 reported that officers were called to the area after receiving reports about an explosion, that they noticed damage to the home when they arrived, and that no fire resulted from the explosion. The call was handled as a hazardous materials response.

Neighbors evacuated while the bomb squad checked the block

Adjacent homes were evacuated as a precaution while crews worked on the block, FOX 5 reported. The DC Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit responded to the scene, but no hazardous materials were found. No injuries were reported.

WUSA9 reported that Metropolitan Police officers, DC Fire crews and members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were seen at the intersection of Kenyon Street and Warder Street, blocking off the impacted roads. Investigators taped off one residence from the front porch out to the sidewalk and could be seen searching the ground around the building.

Street reopened, cause still open

The street later reopened to traffic following the investigation at the scene, WUSA9 reported. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and released no additional details, FOX 5 reported.

WUSA9 follow up reporting said the family connected to the damaged home was too scared to stay there afterward, and it quoted a resident saying, "I'm not safe in my own home." That coverage described the explosion as intentional. Police themselves have announced no cause, and no official finding that the blast was set on purpose has been released.

What set off the reported explosion has not been announced. Police have not said whether a device was involved, whether the home was targeted, or whether any arrest is expected. Park View is a residential neighborhood of rowhouses in Northwest Washington along Georgia Avenue, and the 500 block of Kenyon Street is a quiet residential block of attached homes.

For the families on the block, the open questions are the practical ones: what damaged the house, whether it was deliberate, and what investigators found on the ground they searched that night. As of Wednesday, officials had announced no cause and no suspect, and the case stayed with investigators.