March 20--PORTSMOUTH -- A fire on the roof of the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center forced brief evacuations and sent smoke throughout the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
The blaze on the roof of Building 3, near the sixth floor of the 18-story high-rise, was reported at about 5 p.m., said Rebecca Perron, a spokeswoman for the hospital. City crews were called to help Navy fire and emergency personnel at about 5:15 p.m., said Mike Stockton, a deputy fire chief.
The source of the fire was an air compressor that was there for construction purposes, according to a hospital news release.
Perron said the fire was under control by about 5:30 p.m.
Medical care provided in the building was for ambulatory outpatients only. No injuries were reported.
Building 3 is undergoing repairs to its exterior and will have its roof replaced.
The building will be open for business as usual today.
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Crews have been working on this fire at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. @WAVY_News pic.twitter.com/OiPdGpTwVz
-- Erin Kelly (@Erin_WAVY) March 19, 2014
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