Lightning strike likely sparked massive fire that destroyed USF St. Pete marine science lab, officials say

Lightning believed to cause USF St. Pete lab fire

USF officials believe lightning caused the fire that destroyed the marine science lab on the university's St. Pete campus. FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports about the extent of the damage.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - University of South Florida officials now believe a lightning strike sparked the massive fire that tore through the marine science lab on the St. Petersburg campus, as concerns grow over the loss of decades of research and critical equipment.

What we know:

The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon shortly after a lightning strike was seen in the area near the lab. University officials say campus cameras captured a bolt hitting the building at approximately 3:15 p.m.

Ben Wilcox, an employee with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, was at Al Lang Stadium as storms rolled through Saturday, when he recorded a lightning strike in the distance, at the same time cameras recorded one on campus.

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rowdies/Ben Wilcox

While firefighters have not officially confirmed the cause, USF leaders say video evidence from multiple angles points to lightning as the likely source.

What we don't know:

Two days after the fire, officials say the building itself may be a total loss. However, it remains unclear how much research and equipment inside can be salvaged. Staff have not yet been able to safely enter the structure to assess the damage.

What they're saying:

 University leaders say no animals were housed in the facility, so none were harmed.

 Inside the lab are freezers containing rare and potentially irreplaceable marine samples collected from around the world. Some of those samples may offer insight into marine life dating back millions of years.

"The real loss may be the loss of all this marine science research that has been gathered literally over decades," Thomas Smith, interim regional chancellor at USF St. Petersburg, said.

Dig deeper:

Smith added that the disruption goes far beyond the building itself.

"We really fear we have lots of samples, literally decades worth of samples that have been in these minus-zero freezers. We don't know if those are going to survive and be that we'll even be able to recover those," Smith said. "We have a lot of sophisticated environmental science and marine science instrumentation, and equipment that may be lost as well."

Students who witnessed the fire described the moment as shocking and heartbreaking.

"It was honestly incredibly shocking," student Isabel Reiter said. "We could see the entire thing unfolding, and it was truly just insane to see it. And devastating to think about all the valuable research that we lost in there."

Students echoed those concerns, calling the loss deeply personal for many in the program.

"The marine science program is one of the biggest programs on this campus, so I just can't imagine how they're hurting right now," student Lily Labarbera said.

"It is a very tragic and sad loss for USF. There's plenty of property and a lot of research that got lost, and it is pretty devastating," student Benjamin Sims said.

What's next:

University officials say they are working to determine the full extent of the damage and whether any research materials can be recovered once it is safe to enter the building.

Officials are also evaluating how the loss will impact doctoral programs and summer courses tied to the marine science lab.