Fire Damages Montana Fire Research Center

    May 31, 2004
    A fire caused about $1.5 million in damage to a building at the Fire Sciences Laboratory, a rural fire department said. No one was injured.
    MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- A fire caused about $1.5 million in damage to a building at the Fire Sciences Laboratory west of here, a rural fire department said. No one was injured.

    Employees arriving for work Friday reported heavy smoke shortly after 6:30 a.m., said Dave Herzberg, a battalion chief.

    The metal building housed offices, a small maintenance shop and a laboratory. Investigators believe the fire started in the lab and have ruled the blaze accidental.

    ``All other causes have been ruled out,'' Herzberg said. ``It's just a matter of tracing down if there was equipment failure'' or some other problem.

    About 20 firefighters from the Missoula Rural Fire Department and the Frenchtown Fire Department responded.

    The Fire Sciences Laboratory is an arm of the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station based in Colorado. The lab researches the behavior, chemistry and effects of wildfires.

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