The U.S. Park Police have closed the Washington Monument.
The move by the US Park Police came after a man reportedly doused a car with gasoline and proceeded to set it on fire.
The man has since been detained.
Breaking: US park police detained a person who poured gasoline on a car and set it on fire at the survey lodge near the washington monument. No one was hurt. Washington monument operations were temporarily suspended during the investigation. pic.twitter.com/XhPtBSyzW1
— Spencer Allan Brooks (@SpencerSays) March 17, 2026
NBC 4 Washington broke the story:
Operations at the Washington Monument were suspended Tuesday morning after someone set a car on fire nearby, authorities say.
The person poured gasoline on a privately owned vehicle at Survey Lodge near the monument on the National Mall, U.S. Park Police said.
The suspect was detained. Their name and information on a motive were not immediately released.
The Washington Monument was expected to reopen quickly, police said.
Here’s the aftermath:
BREAKING: Washington Monument operations suspended after someone set car on fire pic.twitter.com/IXhGHE1Dj1
— The Triune Times (@TriuneTimes) March 17, 2026
Fox 5 DC reported the fire remains under investigation, and no one was injured:
The incident as reported around 9:10 a.m. near Survey Lodge. D.C. Fire and EMS responded and quickly extinguished the flames. No injuries or additional damage was reported.
Operations at the monument were temporarily suspended while police investigated.
ADVERTISEMENT
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!