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Huntsville firefighters work a small fire at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Wednesday night. No one was injured in the blaze, which began in a workroom, and damage was minimal. (Lee Roop/lroop@al.com)
A heating appliance left too close to combustible materials has been determined as the cause of a small fire that broke out Wednesday night at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Capt. Frank McKenzie, a spokesman for Huntsville Fire & Rescue, said Friday that the damage was confined to the work area where the fire broke out. The building's sprinkler system activated in the area of the fire and responding firefighters were able to run a hose line into the building and finish extinguishing the flames shortly after arriving.
There were people inside the building at the time of the fire, including a group of about three dozen Space Camp trainees, but no one was near the area of the fire. The Space & Rocket Center was also hosting Wing Ding 37, an annual gathering of Gold Wing owners, but Wednesday night's reception was being held in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.
The building was evacuated as a safety precaution, but no injuries were reported.