Small fire inside Commerce Dept. building

D.C. Firefighters responded Thursday night to a fire inside the Commerce Department building on Constitution Avenue, officials said. The small fire has been knocked down, said deputy fire chief Kenny Crosswhite.

A fire was reported on the third floor of the building in the 1400 block of Constitution Avenue NW about 8 p.m., said deputy fire chief Kenneth Crosswhite. No injuries were reported, but the building was evacuated.

Construction employees were working inside the building when a small fire started in a storage room, where workers were doing asbestos abatement, Crosswhite said. Authorities have restricted traffic lanes at intersections with Constitution Avenue and 14th and 15th streets, and a decontamination area for firefighters has been set up along 15th Street.

-- Clarence Williams