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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – The University of South Florida St. Petersburg Marine Science Laboratory caught fire Saturday evening. The building is likely a total loss.<\/p>\n
What we know:<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said it will be a long process to clear the scene because the building houses chemicals and other hazardous materials.<\/p>\n
SPFR District Chief Michael Lewis said firefighters will stay on scene through the night to ensure no remaining hot spots interact with the dangerous materials.<\/p>\n
What they’re saying:<\/p>\n
“We are just mopping up some hotspots. We are going through and confirming all of the hazardous materials that were on scene,” Lewis said. “This is going to be a very extensive process to go through, confirm that there is no active fire impinging upon any of the hazardous materials.”<\/p>\n
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Lewis said the wind pushed the plume of smoke over the water. He added that there is no danger to the community, but officials are continuing to monitor air quality.<\/p>\n
The backstory:<\/p>\n
The fire was initially reported by a person outside the building who saw flames coming from the structure. A witness sent FOX 13 a video showing flames erupting from the marina side of the building.<\/p>\n
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The fire department confirmed no one was injured and everyone is accounted for following multiple searches.<\/p>\n
Why you should care:<\/p>\n
Ashley Briscoe witnessed the chaos as she was exiting a neighboring building.<\/p>\n
“I was right next to the building. They were even saying that the building could fall over,” Briscoe said. “As we’re walking out, they’re like, ‘My gosh, hurry up, the building can possibly topple over.’ That’s very scary.”<\/p>\n
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Only the Marine Science Lab was affected by the fire. The Ocean Research Lab was not damaged, and students should report to class Monday.<\/p>\n
Around 200 firefighters and dozens of units from across the Tampa Bay area responded to the blaze.<\/p>\n
What we don’t know:<\/p>\n
The cause of the fire is currently unknown. An investigation will begin once the fire is completely extinguished.<\/p>\n
The Source: Information in this story comes from interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.<\/p>\n
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