US Capitol shut down temporarily out of caution over fire nearby

WASHINGTON: 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.

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

This follows the January 6 attack on the US 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.”

PRO-TRUMP PROTESTS

Law enforcement officers far outnumbered protesters at state capitol grounds on Sunday, as few Trump supporters who believe the president’s false claim that he won the 2020 election turned out for what authorities feared could be violent demonstrations.

More than a dozen states activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed demonstrations, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the US Capitol.

Security officials had eyed on Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as the anti-government

“boogaloo” movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

But by Sunday evening, only small gatherings of demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside much larger crowds of lawenforcement officers and media personnel.

“It was a non-event today and we are glad it was’’, said Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Department of General Services, the agency that protects the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

— Reuters Thousands of US flags are seen at the National Mall, as part of a memorial paying tribute to the more than 200,000 people nationwide who have died from COVID-19, near the US Capitol ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, on Monday.