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By Leslie Albrecht and Tom Liddy
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — A small fire broke out a Columbia University laboratory building Friday afternoon after a welding accident, authorities said.
The blaze erupted on the third floor of the Northwest Corner Building at 550 W. 120th St., near Broadway at 4:37 p.m., according to the FDNY.
Officials said that welders were doing work when some materials ignited in a pump room below.
The building had to be evacuated temporarily, according to a university spokesman Robert Hornsby.
Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control about 40 minutes later and damage was confined to a small area, officials said.
There were no injuries and the fire was not considered suspicious.
