Second fire in two days reported at Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories

A fire at the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories on Madison Street occurred this morning following yesterday’s fire at the lab.

September 1, 2023

Grace Smith

A firefighter takes a ladder to the area of a fire at the Advanced Technology Laboratories on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. The first Hawk Alert urged people to avoid the area around 10:54 a.m. On Thursday, Firefighters and other first responders arrived at the building to fight an active fire at around 1:30 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Fire officials responded to another fire at the University of Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories on Friday morning after one broke out the day before.

The fire started around 10:29 a.m. Friday, and was put out within the hour. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Iowa Advanced Technology building houses several labs, and is also undergoing a $4 million renovation.

Bruce McAvoy, UI fire safety coordinator, said that the cause of the fire could be because of the reflection of the sun on the shiny steel that makes up the exterior of the building.

Mark Bullock, assistant vice president of UI Campus Safety, was also on scene for Friday’s fire.

“We are leaving this up to the fire department to investigate and try to figure out why it reignited,” Bullock said. “It appears to be the same location.”

The university sent out a Hawk Alert at 10:54 a.m. warning students of the fire, and to “avoid the area.” An additional alert was sent out at 11: 27 a.m., reporting that the scene was stable, and advised students to resume normal activity. Fire crews left the area around 11:58 a.m.

Two Hawk Alerts were sent out yesterday with similar messages.

UI Campus Safety released a statement this afternoon regarding the fire, which states there were no injuries, while the cause remains under investigation.

UI Campus Safety released a press release yesterday stating there were no injuries in Thursday’s fire, and the operations in the building would be unaffected.

Fire officials continue to respond and investigate the cause of Friday’s fire.

Jack Moore contributed to this report.

About the Contributors

Shreya Reddy, News Reporter

she/her/hers

Shreya Reddy is a freshman at the University of Iowa. Coming from a small town in Kansas, Shreya is double majoring in English and Political Science on the Pre-Law track. Before coming to the Daily Iowan, she has written for her neighborhood magazine and her schools literary magazine as well as writing an investigative journalism piece.

Grace Smith, Senior photojournalist and filmmaker

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Grace Smith is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic Arts. In her four years at The Daily Iowan, she has held the roles of photo editor, managing summer editor, and visual storyteller. Outside of The Daily Iowan, Grace has held an internship at The Denver Post and pursued freelance assignments for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register.