A man has been arrested for setting fire to papers inside the New York City courthouse where former US president Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial has been taking place, leading to a brief evacuation of the building.

Firefighters arrived at the New York State Supreme Court Building in lower Manhattan shortly after 4pm local time on Wednesday to respond to an alarm on the fourth floor of the building.

A person was taken into custody after setting fire to the documents, then dousing them with a fire extinguisher, said court spokesperson Al Baker.

He did not release further details, but said the incident is under investigation.

The fire came hours after the conclusion of evidence in Mr Trump’s civil fraud trial case, which has played out on the building’s third floor for nearly three months.

Among those evacuated was Judge Arthur Engoron, who has presided over the trial.

The former president was not in the building on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported.