FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – What was described as an “unusual smell” prompted an evacuation at St. John’s Cathedral in Downtown Fresno on Tuesday, according to the Diocese of Fresno.

Diocese officials tell YourCentralValley.com that there was an unusual smell inside the building next to St. John’s Cathedral, where the parish offices and priests’ residences are located.

Diocese staff say they are working with the fire department and that the specific building has been evacuated until it is safe to reenter.

According to the Fresno Fire Department, they were alerted to the issue at around 12:45 p.m., with the cause of the smell being contractors working on a sewer line in the area of St. John’s Cathedral. Sewer water was being pumped outside the building, and that was the reason for the unusual smell described by staff inside.

The Fresno Fire Department says two people took themselves to the hospital with complaints of nausea.