Trending Topics

DCFEMS puts out fire at historic building near White House

Workers were instructed to evacuate, and no injuries were reported

AP23069502668604.jpg

A bird flies over the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex at dusk, June 1, 2021, in Washington. A fire at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House led to the evacuation of workers as firefighters responded to the call.

File photo/Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A fire broke out Friday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, leading to the evacuation of workers as firefighters responded to the call, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services said at 8 a.m. on Twitter that a defective cooling motor in the basement caused the fire. It said there were no injuries in the response to the fire.

Built between 1871 and 1888, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building towers over the West Wing, where President Joe Biden works. It houses a wide array of White House workers. An email to White House staff sent Friday morning said “URGENT: EVACUATION” with the order to leave the building at the direction of security officers.

By 8:35 a.m., the White House grounds were relatively calm after the morning disturbance.

A 2007 fire at the executive building damaged then Vice President Dick Cheney’s ceremonial suite of offices and led to the evacuation of 1,000 federal workers, including a marine who suffered cuts after punching through a fifth-floor window to escape, according to a New York Times article.

https://twitter.com/dcfireems/status/1634177610455416833

WHAT TO READ NEXT
Amid the flames, first responders are working to rescue and evacuate stranded tourists and residents from the island of Maui
Officials in Maui County say 271 structures were damaged or destroyed, and dozens of people have been injured
Video from the L.A. County Fire Department shows walls and roofs beginning to separate and ground shifts
Firefighters evacuated approximately 100 people from the famous Fifth Avenue store