Fire erupts at one of Cheney's offices By James Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
7:30 AM PST, December 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- A fire erupted this morning in the vicinity of Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. The vice president was not in the office at the time, a White House spokesman said.
Thick, black smoke billowed out of the windows and balcony doorway of an adjacent office. The century-old stone building on Pennsylvania Avenue was evacuated. Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel said many of the 1,700 employees of the Executive Office of the President work in the building.
There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire was not immediately disclosed.
The odor of the smoke drifted across the White House north lawn, as firefighters removed furniture from the office. Water eventually cascaded over the second-floor balcony.
The vice president's ornate office in what is known as the Old EOB is used for ceremonies; he generally works in a smaller office in the White House West Wing near the Oval Office.
The ceremonial office opens onto a balcony, which is currently decorated with a large Christmas wreath. Garlands are wound around the supporting stone pillars.
The crackle of police and fire radios could be heard between the Executive Office Building and the West Wing. Firefighters' axes could be heard striking objects in the suite, and a wooden coffee table was carried out and placed on a balcony railing.
james.gerstenzang@latimes.com