Fire Disrupts Capitol Subway, Sends 2 Cops to Hospital

A minor fire sparked a brief scare in the subway tunnel connecting the Rayburn House Office Building and the US Capitol on Thursday, according to Capitol Police. The electrical fire was quickly doused with fire extinguishers before 5pm, reports NBC Washington. Two Capitol Police officers were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation as a precaution, but no injuries were reported among passengers on the trolley that runs through the tunnel.

"There's a fire down there, we can't have you breathing smoke," a Capitol Police officer restricting access to the subway tunnel's elevators told Politico. TMZ features a tweet from reporter Arthur Delaney that shows the tunnel filled with smoke. DC Fire and EMS responded to the incident, and authorities say that the smoke has since dissipated and there's no ongoing hazard.