Updated: 3:09 p.m.

A fire broke out at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Firemen were immediately called to the scene. The blaze, which started on the building’s exterior and affected floors four through seven, was put out within 10 minutes. “Luckily, the fire department was able to get here very quickly,” fire department spokesman Alan Etter said, explaining that the blaze never entered the building. No one was hurt, but the building was evacuated and the surrounding streets were temporarily closed. The Capitol Police were also on the scene at the conservative think tank. The building facade is undergoing construction and it appeared that construction workers attempted to dampen the fire before calling for help. Etter attributed the cause of the fire to welders who were working on the building at the time. Damage was estimated at $50,000.