by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Capitol Hill — the U.S. seat of Congress and legislative center of American government — faced fresh drama Thursday when a small electrical fire broke out in the underground subway system connecting the Rayburn House Office Building to the U.S. Capitol, forcing evacuations.
Rayburn is one of the most critical congressional buildings, home to key committees, and the blaze briefly shut down the tunnel as firefighters raced to the scene.
Reporters were ushered off Capitol Plaza as smoke filled parts of the tunnel, with a Capitol Police officer warning: “There’s a fire down there, we can’t have you breathing smoke.”
The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC Fire and EMS) Department said the blaze was quickly extinguished; however, the tunnel remained closed while investigators examined the damage.
Two U.S. Capitol Police officers were transported to a hospital for evaluation after being exposed to smoke, authorities said. No passengers aboard the trolley were reported injured.
The fire occurred on the trolley line that shuttles lawmakers and staff between congressional office buildings and the Capitol — a system that has operated for decades beneath the seat of American democracy.
TENSIONS FLARE OVER VIDEO CONTROVERSY
The fire incident unfolded as tensions flared on Capitol Hill over a video released earlier Thursday by six Democratic lawmakers, who urged U.S. military personnel to “refuse illegal orders,” even if issued by President Donald J. Trump.
Trump reacted angrily on his Truth Social platform, writing that encouraging troops to defy orders was “punishable by death.”
House Democratic leadership condemned the lawmakers’ message and contacted Capitol Police to “ensure the safety” of members singled out in the president’s posts.
The fire, though unrelated, added to the sense of chaos gripping Congress as political divisions sharpened.
Witnesses on Capitol Hill posted video footage on social media showing a stationary trolley car in a smoke-filled tunnel, with scorch marks near the electrical line.
FOX 5 DC network reporter Allison Papson wrote on platform X that the incident “started with an electrical fire on the subway” and was extinguished using fire extinguishers before DC Fire and EMS crews arrived to conduct a safety investigation.
POLICE OFFICERS BEING EVALUATED
DC Fire and EMS said on X that two people were being evaluated for minor injuries — the two Capitol Police officers later taken to the hospital — but emphasized that no one riding the trolley was harmed.
Police briefly blocked access to the tunnel, and Independence Avenue was closed for several hours as emergency crews worked to ventilate the area.
By 6 p.m. local time, officials declared all smoke cleared, and emergency personnel began reopening the area to the public.
The cause of the electrical malfunction remained under investigation late Thursday, with Capitol maintenance crews inspecting the subway system.
Yet the incident did little to ease lawmakers’ appetite to battle over Trump administration policies, and political rhetoric in Washington continued to grow increasingly contentious.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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