FARGO (KFGO) - Fire in a basement chemistry lab at Dunbar Hall at North Dakota State University may have started in a ventilated enclosure called a "fume hood" where harmful volatile chemicals can be used or kept.
Mike Borr, NDSU Director of the Police and Safety, says most of the hoods are metal but the one in question was polypropylene and appears to be the source of the fuel for the fire.
Borr says Dunbar Hall is still secured so students and staff have not been able to access the building to determine what research was damaged or lost. NDSU's Facilities Management office is working to open up area's not damaged and the Registrar's office is also looking at potential alternate study locations in order to minimize disruption for students during finals this week.
The lab was last used about a half hour before automated smoke detectors and manual smoke alarms alerted NDSU's call center around 5:30 Saturday evening. The lab had "significant" damage and there was light smoke damage on three floors. A dollar estimate of damage is not available. Fire Chief Steve Dirksen says inspections earlier this year at Dunbar found violations of fire safe codes but the most recent inspection found the building in full compliance.