The week-long closure in Building 50, the University of North Florida’s science and engineering building, was caused by an early-morning electrical fire on Oct. 6, a new police report reveals.

At approximately 1:20 a.m. on Oct. 6, university police and emergency responders were dispatched after multiple fire alarms went off in the building. Upon arrival, officers reported moderate to heavy smoke coming from the first floor, according to the report.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived on scene around 1:28 a.m. and was escorted to electrical room #1909, where heavy smoke was found. Fire officials determined that the incident was caused by a blown fuse in the electrical panel, resulting in an electrical fire, according to the report.

JFRD assessed the damage, ventilated the area, and requested that an electrician respond immediately. Before leaving, they confirmed there was no ongoing fire threat and that toxin levels in the air were minimal, according to the report.

UNF’s life and safety supervisor and two Physical Facilities employees arrived to evaluate the damage. They told police there was significant damage to the electrical panel and contacted an electrical company to assist with repairs, according to the report.

Physical Facilities declined to comment on the incident. 

Previously, a university spokesperson said the outage was caused by a failure with the main switchgear, the panel that had to be replaced. No injuries were reported, and no one was in or near the building at the time of the fire, according to the spokesperson on Oct. 9. 

“The electrical issues in Building 50 required a new switchboard and replacement breakers, which had to be sourced, inspected, tested, programmed and installed. This was a major endeavor to complete and we’re very fortunate this only took a week,” said the university spokesperson on Thursday.

When asked for a cost estimate of the damage and repairs, the spokesperson said it was still unknown.

According to the police report, the fire damage appeared to be isolated to the electrical room, though officials were still assessing whether there was any structural impact to nearby areas at the time of the report. 

The outage shut down Building 50 for a full week, Oct. 6–Oct. 12, causing scheduled classes and activities to relocate until its reopening on Monday.

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