Cheney Avoids Death In Office Fire; The Nation Mourns

Thick black smoke billowed from a fire Wednesday in Vice President Dick Cheney's suite of offices in the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. Cheney's office was damaged by smoke and water from fire hoses, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said. The vice president was not in the building at the time; he was in the West Wing of the White House with President Bush.

More than 1,000 people who work in the building were evacuated. The fire broke out on the second floor of the building around about 9:15 a.m. and was under control within a half hour, District of Columbia fire department spokesman Alan Etter said. Investigators were working to determine the cause of the blaze; the smoke appeared to come from an electrical closet on the building's second floor. Afterward, Bush and Cheney appeared on West Executive Avenue, between the White House and the damaged building, to thank District of Columbia firefighters.

The blaze was located in Cheney's suite of ceremonial offices. His working office is in the West Wing. There were no reports of serious injuries, Etter said. A U.S. Marine stationed at the building smashed a fifth-floor window to escape from the smoke and had to be rescued from the ledge, he said. The man suffered a minor cut to his hand. The building remained evacuated while firefighters ventilated the smoke, Etter said. The displaced employees were sent to other offices or went home.