GFR crews respond to second fire on UF campus

Gainesville Fire Rescue crews were notified by University Police of an institutional fire alarm at Norman Hall. Arriving units found heavy smoke throughout the building. 

It was the second fire on the University of Florida campus in three days. On Saturday, GFR responded to a fire at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

To extinguish the fire, crews used a technique known as a “courtyard lay“ which includes a medium diameter supply hose deployed to the center of a large building that allows firefighters to attach multiple attack hoses to a specialized appliance. Because of the size and compartmentalization of the building, firefighters searched for thirty minutes in heavy smoke conditions, on all three floors, before locating the fire In a locked office on the first floor.

No civilians or firefighters were harmed in the operation. The cause of the fire will be investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. To keep your office safe, Gainesville Fire Rescue would like to remind everyone to keep your desk areas clean and make sure you have good connections and effective grounds in wiring.