A fire Thursday morning burned briefly during construction work inside a historic 10-story downtown Minneapolis building, where two workers escaped to the roof and were soon brought down to safety.

No injuries were reported.

The blaze started around 7:30 a.m. on the eighth floor of the 106-year-old Ceresota Building at 512 2nd St. S., according to the Fire Department.

Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control, tended to hot spots and ventilated the building of smoke before pulling out, the department said.

The two workers escaped and were safely removed from the roof once the smoke sufficiently cleared, the Fire Department said.

The building, not far from the Stone Arch Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River, is in transition from office space to 68 residences designed for seniors, said Jay Dworsky, one of its owners.

Dworsky said the two iron workers were welding on the eighth-floor solarium and “they sparked some insulation, and we had a fire. … The eighth floor is a black mess, and the floors below are just waterlogged.”

Despite the damage, Dworsky termed the blaze as “a minor setback” to the project’s progress and expects the building to open in next spring or summer.

Fortunately, he added, “this building is made out of steel and concrete. There is no wood at all in this.”

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482