CHINA TOPIX

03/29/2024 01:13:11 am

Make CT Your Homepage

Souvenir Truck Fire Near White House Forces Lockdown

Burned souvenir shop near White House

(Photo : Reuters) A burned-out souvenir truck that sparked a security alert at the White House is pictured in Washington March 7, 2015. The security alert happened just moments before President Barack Obama and his family had been due to board a helicopter from the presidential mansion's South Lawn for Andrews Air Force Base. Obama and his family left the White House by motorcade instead of helicopter an hour later and boarded Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY)

U.S. President Barack Obama and his family were about to board a helicopter from the South Lawn when a loud noise led to a security lockdown on Saturday morning at the White House.

It turned out to be a souvenir truck in a nearby street that caught fire, reports AOL.com. The fire was doused, while the White House security investigated another vehicle near the president's mansion. But the vehicle was cleared after a bomb-sniffing K9 initially detected something on the car, said Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.

Like Us on Facebook

A Reuters reporter said a Korean family from Virginia who do not speak English own the souvenir truck which was totally gutted by the fire. The truck was located in 400 block of 15th Street, Northwest, according to Time.

A report from D.C. fire officials said the blaze was extinguished and it evaluated one person of the scene, although the person was not brought to a hospital.

During the lockdown, several streets were closed for a few hours but were eventually reopened after noon. Also interrupted by the incident were White House tours, but it was later resumed after the dubious vehicle was cleared.

The president and his family are on their way to Selma, Alabama to take part in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march.

The truck fire is the latest of several White House lockdowns the past few months, although most of the incidents were due to intruders who jumped the White House security fence.

Real Time Analytics