The UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation faces a devastating loss after a fire burned down the Austin Cary Conference Center Tuesday afternoon.
The building, named after the nationally known forestry pioneer Austin Cary, was used by faculty and students as the main facility for lectures, demonstrations and research in forest resource education. It was also available to the Gainesville community to be rented out for special events.
While no staff members or students were injured, the building was destroyed. The cause of the fire is not yet known; an official investigation is ongoing.
Michael Andreu, the Austin Cary Memorial Forest management coordinator and undergraduate coordinator for the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, said the loss was not only physical but also an emotional one.
At about 2:13 p.m., Gary Johns, a forest technician, noticed smoke coming from the porch area and saw flames inside the building. He immediately called the division of forestry, which is located in the same building as the fire department in Waldo, Andreu said.
Two firefighters from Fire and Rescue Station 23 in Waldo were the first to arrive at the scene in a truck carrying 1,000 gallons of water, District Chief Andrew Carlisle said.
More trucks from the Alachua County Fire Rescue Services department arrived later to help out in the efforts, but by 3 p.m. the building was still fully engulfed in flames.
"At that point in time, I didn't think there was anything they could do to save the building," Andreu said.
Carlisle said one of the biggest difficulties in responding to the emergency was the location of the building, more than 1.5 miles down an unpaved road.
Classes previously held in the conference center will be moved to outdoor venues and classrooms on campus on a case-by-case basis, Andreu said.
"We're an outdoor group, and we're a resilient group, and we'll certainly not quit having all of our events," he said.
The 3,200-square-foot cypress log conference center, located within the 2,000-acre memorial forest, was built in 1987.
It was mainly funded through donations and constructed using staff and student labor.
The new building replaced a lab that burned down in a fire caused by faulty wiring, Andreu said.
He said the school will rely on alumni donations to raise funds to rebuild the structure since insurance will only cover a small amount of the funds needed.
He said many alumni have called to express their grief and loss but remain optimistic about the rebuilding process.
"Something that is positive coming out of it is that this has increased our sense of community among our existing and past students," he said.
A fire burned down a cypress log conference center on Tuesday in UF's Austin Cary Memorial Forest, 16025 Waldo Road.
