The West Wing of the White House was evacuated early Saturday because of smoke from a faulty piece of equipment. The smoke was seen coming out of a mechanical room closet on the first floor around 7am, according to a U.S. Secret Service spokesman.

Journalists and others were evacuated out of "an abundance of caution," and the District of Columbia fire department was called. People were allowed back into the building about an hour later.

Officials say a transformer in the mechanical room overheated.

No injuries were reported and White House officials say President Barack Obama and his family were not affected by the incident.

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