[andbberger]

This would be more believable if you had said that... I don't know.. the US Antarctic embassy was nuclear powered. But in a city with excellent existing energy infrastructure in a country that, rocky start notwithstanding, the US has been allied with for almost 250 years? Get outta here

[oblio]

Small adjustment: a bit more than 200 years. The Brits burned down Washington in 1812.

[adventured]

It's also fascinating what intervened:

"Less than a day after the attack began, a sudden, very heavy thunderstorm—possibly a hurricane—put out the fires. It also spun off a tornado that passed through the center of the capital, setting down on Constitution Avenue and lifting two cannons before dropping them several yards away. Following the storm, the British returned to their ships, many of which required repairs due to the storm. The occupation of Washington lasted for roughly 26 hours and the British plans are still a subject of debate."

The Washington DC area gets only a few tornadoes per century.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington

[emteycz]

It's also not that unlikely. Similar thing happened in Poland.