UNIVERSITY PARK -- A fire that may be arson and several instances of graffiti resulted in an estimated $100,000 worth of damage to the Penn State campus over the weekend, university police said.
Officers were notified about the fire at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, which has been under construction for the past year, about 5 a.m. Sunday.
Alpha Fire Company contained the blaze to the second floor, and officials say they think the fire was set intentionally. Blood was found in the doorway of the building, which police said led them to believe that someone involved may have been injured.
About the same time, officers discovered graffiti at several buildings around campus -- Old Main, Willard, Pattee and Paterno libraries, the Forum Building, North Halls, and the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center among them.
The graffiti matched that found on the inside of the School of Architecture and Landscape Design, where the word "TANG" was spray-painted in orange.
Police are treating the fire and the graffiti as two separate incidents, university spokesman Tysen Kendig said Monday, although they may be related.
The graffiti has been removed, mostly through pressure-washing, Kendig said.
The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture building is expected to be completed later this year at a cost of $23.5 million, according to Kendig. Sunday's fire may cause minor delays, he said.
Distributed by the Associated Press
