Fire reported at University of Iowa lab

IOWA CITY — No one was injured in a Thursday afternoon fire at the University of Iowa’s Iowa Advanced Technology Lab.

The fire at the lab, 205 N. Madison St., was quickly extinguished and the damage to the building is not expected to impact day-to-day operations, according to a UI news release.

The fire was reported at 1:07 p.m.

When University of Iowa police, UI Fire Safety and the Iowa City Fire Department arrived, people were evacuating the building and pointed the public safety officials to the southwest side of the building, where smoke was coming out of stainless-steel wall panels.

“Fire crews removed steel wall panels and construction materials in the affected area and bordering areas to check for fire extension and extinguished any burning materials,” the news release stated. “The scene was stabilized by 2 p.m.” and people returned to the building.

An estimate of the damage is not yet available.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, according to the release.

“The incident was reported in a timely manner, thanks to the vigilance of a staff member working in the building who smelled burning wood,” the news release stated. “Upon further investigation, the staff member discovered smoke coming from behind the steel panels outside the building, re-entered the building, and activated a manual pull station.”

A Hawk Alert was sent to the campus at about 1:30 p.m., advising students to avoid the area and follow first responder directions. An update was sent out just before 2 p.m. stating the situation had stabilized.

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