Hundreds of Congress staffers and tourists were forced out of the U.S. Capitol building on May 26 after two alarms in the Capitol went off.

The Associated Press reported that the alarm which caused the U.S. Capitol to be evacuated for approximately an hour was apparently due to a faulty exhaust fan located in the kitchen of the building's Visitor Center.

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U.S. Capitol Police Kimberly Schneider was quoted by AP explaining that there were "no signs of smoke or fire" when the Congressional building was being inspected.

A CNN report added that Schneider said the police department and the D.C. Fire investigated what triggered the "audible alarm" that caused the evacuation.

The Capitol Police told staffers that the alarms rang because of “a known problem with environmental controls with the kitchen exhaust fan," AP reported.

As members of the Congress are on a week-long break from the Memorial Day celebration, lawmakers were not affected by the evacuation.

AP said that a German tourist who was in the Capitol when the alarm went off was initially told by their tour guide that the alarm was probably test, while a Buffalo, N.Y. teacher said the evacuation from the building was "pretty calm."

According to CNN, the East front lawn of the Capitol was filled with reporters, tourists and staffers during the investigation.

Before the U.S. Capitol evacuation, it emerged that the police advised tourists and staffers to remain inside the building, moments after the alarm went off, but resumed the evacuation plan "minutes later," AP said.

The report added that the East Lawn was cleared while First Street was closed to the public.

Both reports recounted a May 24 incident when a "suspicious" vehicle found close to the Capitol building triggered an investigation that ended up destroying a pressure cooker that was inside the car.

Tagsus capitol evacuated, united states capitol building, United States Capitol, Memorial Day