Fire breaks out at State Department’s Columbia Plaza building
No one is injured, and offices are closed the rest of the day.
A fire broke out on the fifth floor of the State Department’s Columbia Plaza building in Washington on Tuesday morning, according to a State spokesman.
The alarm sounded at 5:25 a.m. and the fire department arrived on the scene at 5:30 a.m., according to the spokesman. The offices were closed and no one was in the building at the time. The fire was contained by 6:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire is unknown but currently is being investigated. The offices were closed Tuesday, and State was still debating whether to reopen them Wednesday.
The cost of the damage is currently unknown, as is the estimated cleanup time. The building houses 800 department personnel.