Cause of University Lab Fire Still a Mystery
A multimillion-dollar fire at a University of California laboratory has been deemed an accident even though investigators concede that they may never know how it started.
The Jan. 11 fire destroyed a fourth-floor laboratory at UC Santa Cruz where genetic research was performed. Damage was estimated at $4 million to $5 million.
Natural sciences Dean Dave Kliger said the entire building was damaged, either by fire, smoke or the 5,000 gallons of water used to extinguish the flames. Campus engineer Frank Zwart said it could take five weeks to reopen some of the labs.
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