The Brief
- A lightning strike sparked a fire at the USF College of Marine Science Lab in St. Petersburg, destroying decades of research and millions in equipment.
- More than 150 students, staff and researchers are adjusting to continue their critical scientific work despite the devastating structural losses.
- University officials await an insurance assessment to determine if the heavily damaged facility must be demolished or can be salvaged.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – A lightning strike sparked a devastating fire at the USF College of Marine Science Lab last month, destroying decades of critical research and tens of millions of dollars in equipment in St. Petersburg.
More than 150 researchers, staff and students are now scrambling to salvage years worth of work and find temporary laboratory space.
USF St. Pete facility damaged
What we know:
A lightning strike caused a fire at the marine science lab last month, destroying decades of research and tens of millions of dollars worth of equipment. Professor Steven Murawski said the building had a wooden roof, which allowed the flames to spread quickly.
Most of the water used to battle the flames was salt water, which ruined almost all the equipment inside, including advanced sonar data vehicles used for mapping. Murawski managed to salvage most of his personal research, which is now being kept in cold storage and trailers in the parking lot. …