A fire broke out Friday in the third floor construction area of Newton Medical Center for the second time in two months, according to the Covington Fire Department.

he CFD received the call at 11:11 a.m. and quickly had the fire under control by 11:25 a.m., according to a CFD report.

Construction workers with the Choate Construction company were working on site when wall material began smoking, possibly started by a welding spark. The smoke set off a detection system, which notified first responders.

Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to find the exact location of the hot spot and removed the sheet rock to put out the smoldering insulation material with water.

"This fire and the last fire, though they were in different construction areas, were started by something in the construction process," said CFD Assistant Fire Chief Walt Ellers. "Fire prevention is going to meet with the construction folks to see if there's something that can be done."

The smoke was reportedly in an isolated area but the fire caused an estimated $600 worth of property damage, according to the report.

Ellers said it was not uncommon for fires to start at construction sites with certain types of work being done, but that it was not a normal occurrence within the city of Covington.

A similar fire also broke out in the third floor construction area in June, during which patients and staff members on the floor below were evacuated.