Fake 911 Call About Fire At White House Triggers Emergency Response

A fake 911 call from the White House on Monday triggered the response from the US emergency services who showed up to the White House. The prank call reported the fire incident inside the building. The incident is being categorised as the “high profile swatting.” The “swatting” incidents, which involve making a fake 911 call to prompt an emergency response, have targeted several politicians in the US including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Tanya Chutkan, as well as the US federal judge overseeing ex President Donald Trump’s election interference case.

Prank caller reported ‘structure fire’ at the White House

Noah Gray, chief communications officer for District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services, told American broadcaster Forbes that the DC emergency services received a 911 call at 7:03 am for a “structure fire” at the White House, and therefore responded immediately. The EMS services were dispatched at 7:04 am, Gary told the outlet.

False 911 call claimed that the site was on fire, the Associated Press is reporting. The EMS services responded “in coordination with” the Secret Service, “determined there was no fire emergency”—with companies returning to service at 7:16 am, according to Gray. AP reported that the prank caller claimed he was a person who was trapped inside White House during the fire.

The person, who wasn’t identified yet, filed a BS report of a fire breaking out at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At the time that the incident occurred, the US President Joe Biden and his family were not at the White House but at the Camp David. Biden landed in Philadelphia for an MLK event later, according to the reports. The local fire department rushed over to the White House where they met with the White House staffers, who appeared confused about what was going on. As the officers tried calling the number from which the initial call was made, the person on the other end denied placing any such call on behalf of the White House.