{"id":258561,"date":"2026-05-05T00:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258561\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T00:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:35:18","slug":"fire-officials-say-usf-st-petes-marine-science-lab-is-likely-a-total-loss-after-weekend-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/258561\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire officials say USF St. Pete\u2019s marine science lab is likely a \u2018total loss\u2019 after weekend fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been two days since emergency responders were dispatched to put out a two-alarm fire at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg on Saturday, May 2. And according to both fire rescue and university officials, the building is likely unsalvageable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg Fire Department officials told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that approximately 69 units and 200 firefighters arrived at the scene, which residents suspect was caused by a lightning strike during an intense storm in the area that evening. The cause remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

Authorities confirmed no one was in the building when the fire erupted, and no injuries were reported. No animals from the lab were injured either.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an update on Sunday, May 3, USF President Moez Limayem told the school community<\/a> that no hazardous materials were released and there\u2019s no threat to public safety, though the area around the building should be avoided.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s roof and interior suffered extensive damage\u2014and Limayem\u2019s message said that initial reports suggest the building is likely a \u201ctotal loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witnesses Diane and Marshall Craig were among many who spotted massive smoke plumes from their 21st-floor apartment that faces the university.<\/p>\n

Diane told CL she saw intense lightning earlier at around 4:30 p.m. while she and Craig headed home on the Howard Frankland Bridge, and she wondered if it may have started the fire.<\/p>\n

Marshall said it was fortunate that the wind blew the smoke away from other buildings on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was very important,\u201d Marshall told CL. \u201cThe wind came at an angle\u2014like the Southwest running toward the Northeast\u2014and that took the wind and the fire and the smoke all out toward Tampa Bay, which really, I think, probably saved a good deal of the rest of the Marine Science Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MSL building is one of the oldest in USF St. Petersburg\u2019s history since it first served as a dormitory and training station for the U.S. Merchant Marines in the 1940s.<\/p>\n

State legislators, for the last few years, have tried to secure funding for USF\u2019s proposed environmental and oceanographic research facility, which would also include repairs to the MSL building. According to the St. Pete Catalyst, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved<\/a> $24.3 million for the facility in his 2023 budget, just a year after he vetoed $75 million for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than eight decades later, it\u2019s been a core facility for research with its environmental chemistry lab and packed equipment inventory. For years, it has stored and protected research\u2014including globally-collected samples\u2014for students, faculty and partners on the state and local level.<\/p>\n

Tom Frazer, dean of the Marine College of Science, told WUSF<\/a> that the oceanographic research program, which often used the lab as a resource for its insights on subjects like harmful algae blooms, was internationally renowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the lab\u2019s history and importance in mind, the building\u2019s total destruction would be \u201cunfortunate,\u201d Limayem\u2019s said in his update, adding that recovery teams will collect and assess research material to determine whether samples are salvageable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fire occurred a day after the USF community mourned the loss of murdered graduate students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon in a vigil at USF Tampa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last few weeks have tested our resilience, but our USF community is strong, we protect one another, and we will get through this together,\u201d Limayem\u2019s message read.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Apr. 30 \u2013 May 06, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

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