US Capitol Briefly Shut Down Over Fire 2 Days Before Biden Inauguration

The US Capitol was shut down temporarily on Monday out of an abundance of caution after a fire broke out near the complex, the Capitol Police said, underscoring security jitters days before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

"There is no threat to the public," the US Secret Service said in a tweet.

Public safety and law enforcement responded to a small fire in the area of 1st and F streets SE, Washington, D.C. that has been extinguished. Out of an abundance of caution the U.S. Capitol complex was temporarily shutdown. There is no threat to the public. pic.twitter.com/kQfAI4NxNK

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) January 18, 2021

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that members and staff were advised to shelter in place while the incident was being investigated.

The follows the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Biden's November election victory.

All participants in the rehearsal for Biden's inauguration, were evacuated into the building, and participants were being held in the Capitol rotunda and other indoor areas, according to a Reuters witness. Biden will be sworn in on Wednesday.

The city's fire department said on Twitter that firefighters put out an outside fire near the Capitol complex.

"There were no injuries," the department said. "This accounts for smoke that many have seen."