MOSES LAKE – A part of the roof under construction at Genie Industries in Moses Lake caught fire Tuesday morning.

Contractors were replacing a section of the building’s roof when an ember apparently became wedged in an expansion joint and ignited at around 11:30 a.m., according to Port of Moses Lake Director of Facilities and Operations Richard Mueller.

“We’ve been remodeling the roof of the Genie Building for about the past five years and it was an instance where something unexpected occurred. Fortunately, it was taken care of quickly and we can make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Mueller said.

Smoke and some flame entered the building’s HVAC system, causing the fire alarm to trigger and staff to evacuate, said Grant County Fire District 5 Fire Chief Dan Smith.

There were no injuries reported.

The fire caused minimal damage to the roof and was extinguished in about 20 minutes by firefighters from Grant County Fire District 5.

“It was really pretty small,” said Smith.