Report of Fire Causes USF Lab Evacuation

This story was reported and written by Associate Regional Editor Sherri Lonon.

Reports of a fire and a possible chemical leak at the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine caused a Sunday afternoon evacuation.

Tampa Fire Rescue received the call about a possible fire in a fourth-floor laboratory at 12908 USF Health Drive around 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. One witness said there was a haze in the building, a fire rescue media release said.

When fire rescue units arrived, officers from the University of South Florida Police Department were also on scene and had a report the fire may have been caused by a chemical reaction.

Fire rescue crews opted to evacuate the building as a precaution, the release said. Hazardous chemical detection meters were used throughout the building as a floor-by-floor search was conducted.

“During the investigation firefighters found no evidence of a fire or chemical hazards,” the release said.

The search took about two hours with 36 firefighters responding to the call.