SAN DIEGO : Fire Destroys Skin, Blood Used in Lab
Half a million dollars worth of human skin and blood burned in a grisly but minor fire at a La Jolla laboratory Sunday afternoon, fire officials said.
The skin and blood, used in biotechnical research by IDEC Pharmaceuticals in the 11000 block of North Torrey Pines Road, was destroyed by a blaze that broke out when a motor failed in a lab refrigeration unit, according to fire officials.
About 50 firefighters responded to the 4:45 p.m. blaze and extinguished it by 5 p.m., San Diego Fire Department spokesman Danny Calderon said. In addition to the destruction of the research materials, there was about $1,000 worth of structural damage, but no injuries, officials said.
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