Fire damages Jefferson Junior High in SW

Fire damaged a junior high school in Southwest Washington on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The fire broke out about 1 p.m. at Jefferson Junior High, in the 800 block of 7th Street SW, the fire department said.

The fire may have started in a lower-level storage room and possibly damaged some classrooms, a fire department spokesman said. He described damage as moderate.

He said people inside the building, including a small group of art students, were safely evacuated.

--Martin Weil