Inauguration Rehearsal Evacuated After Fire Several Blocks Away

01/18/2021 12:09 pm EST

The Capitol complex was locked down on Monday and participants in an inauguration rehearsal were evacuated after a fire was reported several blocks away. At around 10: 30 a.m. ET, an email alert sent out to lawmakers announced the Capitol was on lockdown due to an "external security threat." The notice, which was also heard over loudspeakers at the Capitol, according to CBS News, read, "All buildings within the Capitol Complex: External security threat, no entry or exit is permitted, stay away from exterior windows, doors. If outside, seek cover."

The "external security threat" prompted an evacuation of a rehearsal on the West Front of the Capitol. Media members were told to return to nearby trailers. Reporters noted that smoke could be seen rising in the distance behind the Capitol. Jackson Proskow, Washington Bureau Chief for Canada's Global News and Global National, later reported the smoke had "subsided," though "people who were on the grounds for inauguration rehearsal have left."

A law enforcement official later told NBC News the security alert was prompted by a fire at a homeless encampment. The D.C. Fire Department noted that a nearby fire was extinguished on the 100 block of H Street SE. In a statement, the U.S. Secret Service said the fire had been extinguished and there is "no threat to the public." Capitol Police also confirmed a fire under a highway several blocks south of the Capitol prompted the lockdown.

"In an abundance of caution following an external security threat under the bridge on I-295 at First and F Streets, SE, Acting Chief Pittman ordered a shutdown of the Capitol Complex. There are currently no fires on or within the Capitol campus," Capitol Police said. "Members and staff were advised to shelter in place while the incident is being investigated."

The "external security threat" came amid fear of further violence in Washington, D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. Following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, an FBI law enforcement bulletin last week warned "armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the US Capitol from 17 January through 20 January." Due to these threats, the Capitol is currently operating as a military zone, with thousands of troops currently in Washington ahead of the inauguration, blocking off streets around the Capitol. Several people have since been arrested at checkpoints, including 22-year-old Virginia man Guy Berry, who was carrying three high-capacity magazines, 37 rounds of unregistered ammunition, and a Glock 22 firearm when he was arrested near the Capitol Sunday.

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