KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities say flammable magnesium shavings caught fire in a laboratory in an engineering building at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Knoxville Fire Department spokesman Capt. D.J. Corcoran said officials were alerted to the blaze at 9 a.m. on Thursday and emergency personnel had to use specialized extinguishers to douse the flames.

Corcoran said that smoke from the fire spread throughout the building in the ventilation system.

UT spokeswoman Karen Ann Simsen told The Knoxville News Sentinel that UT's Environmental Health and Safety Office is investigating what ignited the shavings.

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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com


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