Lightning May Have Sparked Devastating Fire at University of South Florida in St. Petersburg

Alexa Coultoff
Tampa Bay Times
(TNS)

The fire that destroyed the Marine Science Lab on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus was likely caused by a lightning strike during an intense thunderstorm that swept through the area Saturday, meteorologists said.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service of Tampa Bay received three emails Saturday night from the Florida State Emergency Operations Center that said the fire was caused by a lightning strike.

The first email was sent at 6:22 p.m.

It said that the “St. Pete Fire Department reports a structure fire involving the science building of USF being on fire due to a lightning strike,” according to Ross Giarratana, a meteorologist for the weather service’s local office.

“It’s hard to say if that was the exact cause with 100% certainty,” Giarratana said. “The key thing is that the lightning description (in the emails) remained the same.”

The State Watch Office sends out communications to agencies across the state to ensure all parties are aware of ongoing situations, according to its website. The emails include preliminary information provided by the responding agency and are not an official record of what happened. 

Emails from the office also said the fire warranted a Hazmat response because there were chemicals in the building, Giarratana said. It is not yet known which chemicals were present.

Footage recorded by the Tampa Bay Times Saturday night showed green flames billowing out of the building’s roof. Green flames are typically caused by copper or boric acid, indicating the possibility of an electrical fire.

Ben Wilcox believes he saw the lightning strike that sparked the fire.

Wilcox works a technology job for the Rowdies and was in a broadcast booth at 3:15 p.m. when he captured a strike on video that lit up the sky and the thunderous boom that followed.

By 5:30 p.m., thick smoke was billowing from the area of the lab into the stadium, later videos showed. 

St. Petersburg Fire District Chief Michael Lewis said Saturday night that more than 60 units with about 200 firefighters were summoned to the scene. No injuries were reported.

After the fire was put out, Lewis said the building was likely “a total loss.”

The fire department could not be reached for additional comment Sunday.

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