Several District firefighters are being treated for possible asbestos exposure after they were called to the scene of a fire at a building under construction.
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesman Alan Etter said the fire started just before 7 a.m. at an old government building at Third and C streets Southwest.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke conditions inside the six-floor building. The fire is out now.
Etter said construction crews had been removing asbestos from the building, and part of the debris caught on fire.
Hazardous-material crews are setting up a decontamination area for the firefighters to evaluate each person and help them wash off.
Most of the firefighters had their masks on to prevent breathing in the asbestos, Etter said.
