Limayem also said that the laboratory building \u201cmay be a total loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Find out what’s happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.<\/p>\n
The two-alarm fire broke out around 5:20 p.m. and more than 70 fire trucks responded to the scene, Patch previously reported. <\/p>\n
(Tiffany Razzano\/Patch) <\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to the quick actions of our firefighters and partner agencies, the situation was brought under control safely and efficiently,\u201d St. Pete Fire Rescue wrote in a social media post. <\/p>\n
Find out what’s happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.<\/p>\n
The building was evacuated, though there wasn\u2019t believed to be anyone inside at the time of the fire, police told Patch. <\/p>\n
There were no reported injuries caused by the fire, fire officials said. <\/p>\n
Recovery teams are working with the College of Marine Science to salvage key research materials and equipment, Limayem said. <\/p>\n
(Tiffany Razzano\/Patch) <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unfortunate as MSL has a rich history and longtime connection to St. Petersburg’s maritime community. The building has been home to important marine science education and research, and the work that has been done there has helped USF become a national leader in this field,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
He also promised the school would rebuild the laboratory so that it\u2019s \u201cstronger than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
No other buildings were damaged by the fire, and classes and normal business operations resumed at the St. Pete campus, other than at the laboratory building and other nearby facilities on Peninsula Drive, including the Knight Oceanographic Research Center and the Plant Operations\/Receiving facility.<\/p>\n
The fire sparked concerns among residents.<\/p>\n
Nick Toth and Cindy Crowder, who live at The Beacon on Third, a condo building near campus, heard about the fire from friends and saw the smoke as they got home Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
“We went to the rooftop and saw the flames and the smoke,” Crowder told Patch. “It\u2019s crazy how big it is.”<\/p>\n
Then, they walked to the waterfront path near USF\u2019s Harbor Hall, a route they regularly take with their dog, to watch the fire across the marina.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s really sad to see. There\u2019s a lot of data in there and a lot of old school information that\u2019s not even digitized, a lot of long-term studies that are going up in flames right now. It\u2019s just really sad,” Toth said.<\/p>\n
He has good friends who work in the building and have been texting him since the fire was reported.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260502_193659.jpg\")
(Tiffany Razzano\/Patch) <\/p>\n
“I\u2019m getting texts like crazy,” Toth said. “They\u2019re all heartbroken over it. It\u2019s an older building and it\u2019s been there for a long time, so it\u2019s not surprising that it\u2019s burning the way it is. We\u2019re just curious how it started. There was a big lightning storm here.”<\/p>\n
The massive fire also forced USF to cancel the Gibbs High School prom that was scheduled to take place in the campus ballroom on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Four disappointed students had heard about the fire, but only learned that prom was canceled when they arrived at the campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom sent me the article [about it] as I was driving,\u201d Ellie Curtis, 17, told Patch.<\/p>\n
Khloe Temple, 18, said, \u201cThen Ellie had texted me and she was like, \u2018Dude, there\u2019s a fire,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018I know! I hope prom is still on.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, Gibbs\u2019 prom has been rescheduled for Sunday, the students said.<\/p>\n
But Temple is scheduled to work and is worried she might not be able to attend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all so crazy because it\u2019s our senior year and we have exams literally Monday and Tuesday, so it was planned for Saturday so that we would be able to have time to recover,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cBut it\u2019s scary to see. I\u2019m glad no one was inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
The story also makes for a prom they\u2019ll never forget, the group said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite the story,\u201d Ella Benson, also a senior at Gibbs, said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been standing looking at it and at one point, there was a rainbow, like, over the smoke. It was just very strange to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Temple added, \u201cA weird juxtaposition.\u201d<\/p>\n