Washington (CNN) Widespread power outages hit across Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, affecting government and privately-owned buildings and the city's public transit rail system intermittently early in the afternoon.

The power outage, which is affecting about 2,000 customers in the Washington area was caused by a small explosion and fire at a power substation in southern Maryland, according to local and U.S. officials.

Charles County Fire & EMS dispatched firetrucks to the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative's Ryceville power substation shortly after 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, when 9-1-1 calls came in reporting the incident, said Bill Smith, the Fire & EMS department's public information officer. The station is partly operated by PEPCO, the electricity utility in Washington, D.C.

Fire officials extinguished the "small fire" that sparked off at a transformer at the power station in about 35 minutes, Smith told CNN. There were no injuries, he added.

"The power has been shut down [at the station]. Any fires that we had are out," he said.