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Emergency responders in Washington swiftly reacted to a false alarm at the White House on Monday morning, prompted by a 911 call reporting a structure fire within the iconic building.
The Chief Communications Officer for D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Noah Gray, confirmed that units were dispatched just after 7 a.m. following the emergency call. Working in coordination with the Secret Service, responders promptly assessed the situation and determined that there was no actual fire emergency.
By 7:16 a.m., the issue was successfully resolved, with President Biden safely at Camp David during the incident. Later in the day, he headed to Philadelphia for a service trip in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
While the incident at the White House was not categorized as a swatting, an official familiar with the matter suggested it was “in the same spirit” as recent swatting incidents involving public officials.
In the past month, there has been a concerning series of swatting incidents targeting various public figures, including Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, special counsel Jack Smith, and several members of Congress. Although this incident did not trigger a SWAT team response, it raises alarms about the prevalence of such false emergency calls.
The Secret Service refrained from commenting on the specific incident, directing inquiries to D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The occurrence adds to the growing list of security concerns surrounding public officials and their offices.