STANFORD A three-alarm fire erupted at Stanford Medical School early Saturday and burned a laboratory containingbio-hazardous waste, prompting fire crews to activate hazmat and decontamination teams.

Hazmat crews made entry into the hot zone at about 10 a.m. to evaluate any hazards inside the lab, said Catherine Capriles, deputy fire chief of thePalo Alto Fire Department.

The incident was reported on the departments Twitter account at about 8 a.m. Though initial reports said the fire was inside Stanford Hospital on Pasteur Drive, crews later said it was in the medical school building, located in the same compound.

Anofficial cause for the fire was not immediately determined, but Capriles said it may have been sparked by an experiment inside the third-floor lab.

It appears at this point in time that there was some sort of experiment on a hot plate or heating mechanism, she said. That was on fire when our team came in.

Capriles said the fume hoods in the laboratory helped contain the blaze.

Crews temporarily closed the main entrance to the hospital and redirected people to other entrances, but there were no threats to patients, fire officials said.

No damage estimate was immediately available.

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Palo Alto: Hazmat on scene at Stanford Medical School following 3-alarm fire - The Mercury News