An electrical fire damaged a laboratory in the Engineering and Engineering Technology building Saturday, May 21.

“It was accidental in nature, nothing suspicious,” said DeKalb Fire Chief Lanny Russell.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short from a piece of equipment in Room 211.

The Microelectronics Research and Development Laboratory, which is known as a “clean room,” is used to work on microelectronic parts, said Joe King, assistant director of public affairs.

The alarm went off at the building and at the Department of Public Safety about 11:30 p.m.

Due to the structure of the sprinkler system, the fire was contained to a single room.

“The systems worked the way they were designed,” said Promod Vohra, acting dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. “As a dean, I am very pleased.”

The sprinkler system took care of putting out the fire, Russell said.

Water and fire damage was limited to the loss of the Indium Tin Oxide Deposition system equipment.

“It should not affect classes,” Vohra said.

A number of rooms in the building are scheduled for maintenance during the summer, including the clean room, which was not going to be open during the semester.

According to reports, damage was estimated to be $1.5 million in equipment. However, the cost in damages may be considerably less, King said.

Another issue is the air filtration system that maintains the dust-free environment of the clean rooms. A dollar figure for this maintenance has not yet been calculated, King said.

The Engineering and Engineering Technology Building opened in August 1995 at a cost of $40 million.