Fire broke out in a four-storey building in Shanghai near Tongji University at about 4:30 PM on Monday, but no casualties have been reported, said a source with the municipality's fire brigade.

The fire, which broke out in a workshop on the third floor of Shanghai Yuegu construction design company, was extinguished after an hour.

Preliminary investigations showed that the fire might have begun when sparks from an air pump ignited combustible material in the workshop.

The fire did not affect Tongji University but caused traffic congestion.

The four-storey building, located in the city's Yangpu District, belongs to China Scientific Teaching Equipment Co.'s Shanghai branch, and the third floor was rented by the construction design company.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2006)