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January 21, 2002
Cleanup, recovery continue in Sinsheimer Laboratories fire
By Jim Burns
While state investigators combed Sinsheimer Laboratories for clues into the cause
of the fire there 10 days ago, cleanup and salvage crews spent long hours in the
building last week working to preserve materials that were damaged and restore the
building to a usable condition.
Campus officials estimated that portions of the building--most likely all floors
in the north end--could come back on line in two to three weeks if cleanup continues
at its current pace and the State Fire Marshal's Office certifies the building as
safe for reoccupation by then. Some of the spaces nearer the fire--on the fourth
floor of the south end--may be out of commission for many more weeks and, in some
cases, months, while reconstruction takes place.
Many of the people--faculty, researchers, and staff--displaced by the fire have
found temporary workstations elsewhere on campus. "People are getting back to
work in a limited way," said David Kliger, dean of the Natural Sciences Division.
"It varies from lab to lab, and people are spread out all over the place."
Many of the Sinsheimer personnel have found temporary space in Thimann Laboratories,
added Kliger, who praised the cooperation he and his staff have received from people
whose work lives have been disrupted either directly or indirectly by the fire. "For
the most part, everyone has been extremely understanding and helpful."
The fire was detected at 5:30 on the morning of Friday, January 11. UCSC Fire
Department crews, responding to a call triggered by the building's heat detection
system, and numerous local crews controlled the fourth-floor blaze shortly before
noon that day.
The fire destroyed the research labs of biologists Manuel Ares and Jane Silverthorne;
many other areas of the building sustained significant smoke and water damage.
While the State Fire Marshal's Office has not yet released its official report
on the cause of the blaze, investigators by midweek had ruled out arson. They were
sifting through the charred remains of Ares's lab, believing it to be the place of
the fire's origin.
In the meantime, Kliger expressed appreciation for the work of the staff in the
campus's Business and Administrative Services units, who worked tirelessly, first,
to suppress the fire and secure its perimeter; and, later, to ensure that the building
was safe to cleanup. Other BAS staff are collaborating with insurance officials to
recover damages, reestablishing phone and computer connections, purchasing replacement
materials, and planning for the building's physical reconstruction.
"Tom [Vani, vice chancellor of BAS] and his people have been a tremendous
assistance to the division," Kliger said.
To oversee the cleanup and recovery effort, the campus has hired the international
firm Belfor. Called in to help with the recovery
efforts at New York's "Ground Zero," Belfor officials have an impressive
track record of helping companies and institutions bring damaged workplaces back
"to preincident condition."
In the case of a fire, that frequently involves several steps: last week's efforts,
said Belfor's Chris Williamson, focused on cleanup, drying, recovery, and testing
the building materials and the equipment inside to assess the extent of the damage.
Cleanup crews, which had been pumping dry air into the building for several days,
were continuing their work at week's end.
On the recovery side of the operation, a considerable amount of paper materials
had been tested--and those that were either wet or which had been exposed to moisture--were
placed in containers outside the building to be freeze-dried as part of the restoration
process. Sensitive electronic equipment will also be subjected to testing and cleaning.
"Smoke is very acidic, and the chlorides in it can eat away at computers and
circuit boards if they are not cleaned properly and in a timely manner," Williamson
said.
Belfor's electronics team is expected to be on site beginning Tuesday (January
22) and will begin the process of restoring the equipment in a "clean room"
that has been established on the building's first floor.
To help with communication and the recovery effort, the division has established
a web site to provide building status reports, insurance claims, and other information;
the address is: orator.ucsc.edu. In addition,
status reports continue to be posted on a special divisional hotline that has been
established; that number is (831) 459-4440. Kliger and others have also held daily
briefings for faculty.
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