None injured after electrical fire breaks out in Patterson

A small electrical fire broke out on the second floor of J.M. Patterson on Monday afternoon after several electrical components caught fire in a utility room, fire officials said.

While officials said they are still unsure of how the room caught fire — the investigation is ongoing — fire personnel were able to immediately extinguish the flames with no reported injuries.

Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said personnel reported to the scene after receiving a call about smoke in the building around 3:13 p.m. The smoke led the fire personnel to a utility room, where they were able to contain and douse the flames quickly, Brady said.

Brady said the fire department will work with the university's environmental safety department to determine what caused the fire.

"This involved electrical components, so we'll look into how this will affect electrical safety in the building and how those might be repaired," Brady said.

A small number of people were in the building at the time of the fire, Brady said. There was minor damage to the room, Brady said, and although the roads surrounding the building have been reopened, the building will remain closed until university officials deem it safe to reenter.

Graduate assistant Kevin Ryan was in the building when he heard the alarm go off, and said officials immediately reported to the scene.

"The response was real quick. We heard the alarm and when we got out, there were two fire trucks already here," Ryan said. "We're in good hands if there is a real fire."

This is the second fire in an academic building this year. In September, a small fire broke out in a chemistry laboratory and injured two students, leading chemistry officials to re-evaluate lab safety protocol.

Staff writer Chad Sinclair contributed to this report.

villanueva@umdbk.com