The cause of a Thursday night fire that was quickly extinguished at St. Mary's Health Center is under investigation.
Jefferson City firefighters responded shortly before 11:30 p.m. to the hospital at 100 St. Mary's Medical Plaza where a fire broke out on the third level.
Initial reports indicated the blaze was extinguished upon or shortly after firefighters' arrival, but the resulting smoke had to be cleared from the building, and nearby patients were moved away from the vicinity of the fire.
An automatic fire alarm alerted the department, plus hospital staff called 911 to confirm the validity of the alarm. Initial reports were that the fire occurred in the "Cardiac Stepdown" area.
Firefighters reported around 12:30 a.m. that the situation was under control and most cleared the scene shortly after that, but the investigation continued.