About 200 firefighters responded to a devastating blaze at the University of South Florida’s Marine Science Laboratory on Saturday, which completely destroyed the building. Officials are investigating whether a lightning strike may have caused the fire.
Moez Limayem, the USF president, said that lightning storms in the area were being looked at as a possible cause. “St Pete Fire and Rescue said there was lightning reported in the area around the time the fire started, but the cause remains under investigation,” he said in a statement.
Michael Lewis, the St Petersburg fire chief, confirmed that more than 60 units and about 200 firefighters responded to the scene. Despite their efforts, the advanced scientific institute was completely destroyed.
Limayem added: “We will rebuild stronger than ever and my commitment is to do everything we can to move quickly to ensure that we have the best possible facilities to support our world class students, faculty and staff.”
