The Washington Monument reopened Wednesday morning, hours after an elevator malfunction left dozens of visitors stranded -- including two pregnant women.
Sixty-three people were at the top of the monument Tuesday night when the elevator malfunctioned with three people on board. The elevator was safely recalled to the ground level, but it was determined that it couldn't be used.
The fire department was called to help bring people down, including two pregnant women who were carried down in a chair. No one needed to be treated.
U.S. Park Police spokesman Mike Litterst said elevator technicians fixed the issue Wednesday morning.
Don Butler, who was inside the monument at the time, said taking the stairs offered a unique perspective.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, for as out of shape as we were," he said. "It was great because we could see all the stones you couldn't see on a regular tour."
Elevator problems have closed the monument several times in the last few years, most recently in June.
