Officials Investigate Fire at Colorado Lab

Fire officials say they are investigating the cause of a fire that started at Fort Collins environmental laboratory over the holiday weekend.

Poudre Fire Authority officials say in a release that the fire broke out early Monday and sent a column of smoke over the ALS Environmental Company laboratory east of downtown Fort Collins.

Officials say firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze to reduce the threat of exposure to potentially toxic materials, and four firefighters who entered the building were decontaminated at the scene.

Fire officials say a team monitored the area inside and outside of the building and determined the public was not in danger of being exposed to hazardous materials at any time.

The business was closed when the fire started and there were no reported injuries.