A corner of the Rayburn House Office Building and an escalator were closed on Wednesday after a broken pipe flooded the area.

Several Architect of the Capitol employees taped off the area and worked on mopping and vacuuming up the water.

The corner under the area on the ground floor was also closed and a couple AOC workers were cleaning up water there, near the entrance to the Rayburn cafeteria. 

Around 11 a.m., the entrance to the escalator on the ground floor was not closed off and two female staffers got off the escalator on the first floor, stepped over the tape, and walked into the closed area. Workers then appeared to tell people to not ignore the signs.

A sign instructed staffers to “Please use the [New Jersey Ave.] and C Street exit or the exit on the second floor at [Independence Ave.]”

By 11:10 a.m., Architect of the Capitol was allowing people to talk through the area as they continued to mop.

The House Oversight Committee hearing room, located at Rayburn 2154, was also closed and the committee’s 10:30 a.m. hearing on options for reauthorizing the Office of National Drug Control Policy was moved to the Longworth House Office Building.