IRS headquarters in northwest Washington will remain closed for the rest of the week following a fire Monday afternoon.
A transformer fire in the basement of the building at 1111 Constitution Ave. NW affected the air handling system, an IRS spokesman said. No one was injured.
Many IRS employees worked remotely Tuesday and will continue to work remotely through the rest of the week, the IRS said. Other IRS offices are not affected.
Taxes are due April 18, but tax returns are not processed at the building, so the fire will have no effect on tax returns, IRS spokesman Terry Lemons said.
The fire was reported about 3:30 p.m. Monday. The fire created a lot of smoke, and the building was evacuated, Lemons said.
The building was closed about 2:45 p.m. because of electrical problems with the heating and air conditioning systems, Lemons said. About 2,000 people work in the building, and many had left before the fire started.
Lemons said the fire was apparently contained to one room. The cause is under investigation.
