A person set themself on fire in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday night, a court spokesperson said, while emphasizing that there was no threat to public safety.
According to the court spokesperson, the incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Minutes later, a medical helicopter landed and took the unidentified person to a local hospital.
No one else was injured, the spokesperson said.
The area was closed to the public after the Supreme Court Police, U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department responded at the scene.
“The area remains closed for further investigation, but this is not a public safety issue,” the court spokesperson said in a statement.
The Supreme Court was not in session at the time, and Congress is in recess. The Capitol is directly across the street from the Supreme Court.
Capitol Police tweeted about the incident Friday night, saying the helicopter was responding to a medical emergency and that there was no threat to others.
NBC News has reached out to the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
The Capitol was evacuated Wednesday night after the Federal Aviation Administration failed to alert Capitol Police of plans for the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights to parachute from a plane into nearby Nationals Park for Military Appreciation Night. Police later said there was no threat to the Capitol building.
Earlier on Friday, D.C. was rattled by a shooting that wounded four people near two campuses in a residential part of the city.
Caryn Littler contributed.