Blaze at White House Office Building

ABC News’ Ann Compton, Jon Garcia, Jonathan Karl, Karen Travers, and Jack Date Report: A fire broke out Wednesday near Vice President Dick Cheney’s ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building — a government building beside the White House.

President Bush and Cheney were in the Oval Office in meetings at the time of the fire, White House Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel told reporters.

As thick, grey smoke billowed from the second floor, firefighters could be seen pouring water on the blaze, moving furniture from the office building onto a balcony. Some of the bullet-proof windows of the office building were broken and scorched.

As the fire broke out, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was vehemently complaining in a briefing with reporters about a New York Times story that said more members of the White House staff allegedly knew about the pending destruction of CIA interrogation tapes.

The Secret Service said the fire started on the second floor, but was quickly contained by firefighters. Officials evacuated the entire five-story office building as a precaution.

Darrin Blackford, spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service tells ABC News there was one minor injury, a laceration, which was treated at the scene by White House doctors. Otherwise, everyone was safely evacuated.

The Washington, D.C. fire department told the WMAL radio the fire started in an electrical or telephone closet. There was a great deal of smoke but no serious damage, a fire department spokesperson told the station.

The fire appeared to be under control within an hour.

Over 1,000 staff members have their office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building because there is not enough room inside the West Wing of the White House. Numerous staff members could been seen evacuating the office building, calmly walking down the steps of the building bundled in their winter coats.

Cheney uses his ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for staff meetings and talks with visiting dignitaries and large groups.

The commanding office building, which was original built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888, houses the Office of Management and Budget and staff of the National Security Council and other agencies.

The fire and its aftermath didn’t stop the president, who left the White House in a motorcade shortly after the fire was contained for the Department of Energy, where he signed into law new energy legislation.

Bush later came over to the office building to shake hands with the firefighters who helped to put out the blaze.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.