CSU equine lab fire results in millions of dollars in damage

As investigation of last week’s Equine Reproduction Laboratory fire continues, Colorado State University is picking up the pieces from one of the most expensive losses in its history.

As far as CSU officials can tell, it’s at least the university’s third-costliest loss, bested only by damage from the 1997 Spring Creek Flood and the 1970 fire that destroyed Old Main, CSU’s original administration building, university spokeswoman Dell Rae Moellenberg said.

Tuesday’s fire consumed nearly the entire Equine Reproduction Laboratory on the CSU Foothills campus, causing about $12 million in damage to the building alone. There were no injuries to either humans or horses.

The cause remains undetermined. The Poudre Fire Authority, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are investigating with the help of the Northern Colorado Bomb Squad and other agencies. Read More…