Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his entourage were among guests evacuated from their Washington hotel following a fire alert this morning.
According to a Government spokeswoman, the Renaissance Mayflower hotel was evacuated at 4.20am (9.20am Irish time) after a generator on the roof burned out.
She said all the hotel's guests left the building for around 30 minutes until the all-clear was given.
There were no injuries reported. The hotel is on Connecticut Avenue, four blocks from the White House.