MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) --The Millipore Sigma office building in Rockville was evacuated after a fire broke out inside a machine Thursday morning. In a post on X around 11:30 a.m., Pete Piringer with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said crews were called to the office building in the 9900 block of Blackwell Rd., just off of Seneca Highway. Police investigating suspicious vehicle near US Capitol; man in custody Once on the scene, crews noticed heavy smoke conditions and the building was evacuated. Firefighters discovered materials inside an autoclave machine on fire in the hazard room. The fire was extinguished; however, officials started the decontamination process for anyone who was near the autoclave machine. "Out of the abundance of caution, anybody that was in that area, close proximity, may have been exposed to the smoke or other conditions, they are being what we call, 'deconed'," said Piringer. According to officials, autoclaves are steam sterilizers. They are typically used for health care or industrial applications. The machine uses steam under pressure to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores on items that are placed inside a pressure vessel. Piringer said more than 50 firefighters responded to the call.