A minor laboratory fire at the University of Colorado at Boulder's engineering center early this morning was extinguished by the building's sprinkler system and is being investigated by the Boulder Fire Department and CU Police.
The engineering center was not occupied at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. However, three CU police officers were sent to Boulder Community Hospital to be checked for possible smoke inhalation.
The engineering center was closed to faculty, students and all visitors but was reopened by 8 a.m. this morning, except for the first level of the chemical engineering wing of the building.
The fire is believed to have begun in a fume hood in an unidentified lab of the chemical engineering wing in the engineering center, which is located on Regent Drive on the east edge of the Boulder campus. The cause of the fire is not known and is under investigation.
The fire department was called to the scene at about 2:17 a.m. Thursday. The fire set off an alarm and two sprinkler heads. It was extinguished within minutes, according to CU Police.
The fire was contained to one room. Damage initially appeared to be limited to furniture and water damage. A damage estimate is not yet available.
There were no hazardous materials released into the air in the building, according to the campus environmental health and safety office.