Hundreds of Government Staffers Evacuate Building as Fire Breaks Out

MSNBC reports:

WASHINGTON - A fire broke out near Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial office in a building overlooking the White House Wednesday, forcing hundreds of government staffers to evacuate.

Cheney was in the White House with President Bush receiving their morning intelligence briefings when the blaze began and people were evacuated from the executive office building safely, White House officials said.

Smoke billowed from the second floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a hulking granite structure that is part of the White House complex and faces the West Wing of the presidential mansion. Firefighters arrived and quickly brought the blaze under control within an hour.