The Capitol Power Plant was briefly evacuated Friday afternoon, as firefighters responded to a small fire in the break room.  

Around 3:45 p.m., Capitol Police sent out an alert to notify the campus community that the complex on E Street Southeast was being evacuated due to signs of smoke. Fortunately, it was not an industrial blaze, but a small fire in an area with paper products, according to department spokeswoman Lt. Kimberly Schneider. D.C. Fire and EMS responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire. By 3:58 p.m., the crew was rolling up their hoses. Four minutes later the power plant was cleared for re-entry.  

Architect of the Capitol spokeswoman Laura Condelucci told CQ Roll Call that plant operations were normal, and there was no disruption in service.  

The power plant provides steam and chilled water used to heat and cool buildings throughout the campus, including the Capitol, Supreme Court and Library of Congress. It ceased generating electricity in 1951.