An electrical fault in the air conditioning at The Royal Gazette brought operations to a halt this afternoon.

Employees evacuated the premises after the fire alarm went off at about 4pm.

“It was a fault in the air conditioning,” a senior fire officer at the scene said.

“We have used a thermal imaging camera and there is no sign of fire.

“We have shut down the air conditioning system and it appears that the smoke is dissipating.

He added that the problem was confined to the basement area of the office.

Staff were evacuated as a precaution.

Dexter Smith, the Editor, said: “The safety of our employees must come first and foremost. After confirming that everyone was accounted for, and given the timing of the incident, it was determined that non-essential staff should make their way home.

“While there was a short interruption to our normal working day, we can assure our readers that the newspaper will be available as normal on Tuesday.”

Mr Smith added: “We would also like to thank the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service for their fast and efficient response to our fire alarm.

“It was a minor issue, but it is reassuring to know that our firefighters are always there to help if needed.”