Emergency personnel were dispatched to the White House on Monday in response to a prank phone call in which an individual claimed the residence was engulfed in flames and that victims were trapped inside.
At approximately 7:00 a.m., the Washington, D.C. metropolitan 911 center received a call regarding what seems to be a “swatting” incident, which occurs when an unknown person uses a bogus phone number to cause panic through threats of violence or false accusations of catastrophe. At the time, President Joe Biden was not at home but rather at Camp David.
“Fire in the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” a DC dispatcher said at 7:04 a.m. The “all clear” was given by 7:15 a.m. after 13 units had responded to the site.
