ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closed one of its laboratory buildings Wednesday after an overnight fire.
According to a CDC spokesman, this is the first building closure caused by a fire in the past 25 years.
CDC officials say the fire broke out around midnight in the Rubella lab in Building 18.
No one was injured and there was no release or loss of containment of any germs.
Officials say the laboratory's sprinkler system estinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.
Now, the building has water damage, which is why 470 employees were told to stay home.
Officials are investigating the cause of the fire but say early indications point to a piece of laboratory equipment that malfunctioned.
In addition to rubella, scientists in the building also work on measles, mumps, HIV, meningitis, hepatitis, norovirus and other pathogens.