Participants at a rehearsal for Joe Biden’s inauguration were evacuated from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday after a fire broke out near the building, according to officials.
With tensions still high in the wake of the Jan. 6 pro-Trump attack on the Capitol, security officers quickly whisked away the participants, including a military band, as a plume of smoke was seen shooting up in the air a few blocks away shortly before 10:30 a.m.
But the blaze does not appear to have been connected to the inaugural preparations, and the Washington, D.C., Fire Department said no injuries were reported.
The fire appears to have started in a homeless encampment under an overpass about five blocks away from the Capitol, law enforcement officials said.
U.S. Capitol Police said at 11 a.m. that the agency ordered a shutdown out of an abundance of caution.
“There are currently no fires on or within the Capitol campus,” the agency said in a statement. “Members and staff were advised to shelter in place while the incident is being investigated.”
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