Fire Torches Houston Theatre

Fire has damaged part of the under-renovation Alley Theatre in downtown Houston.

Photo: AP Photo / Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen

Fire fighters tend to Houston's Alley Theatre Sept. 11.

Authorities say nobody was hurt in the fire that broke out late Thursday morning in the performing arts venue.

Houston firefighters checked some duct work in the air conditioning system as the possible source of the fire.

Smoke billowed from the upper part of the structure and some nearby streets were closed. Construction workers were safely evacuated.

The Alley Theatre, according to its website, has attracted more than 8 million people to Houston’s Theater District since opening in 1968.