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OLLU Classes Canceled Wednesday

Fire Devastates School's Main Building

POSTED: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
UPDATED: 2:12 pm CDT May 7, 2008

Hours after a huge fire heavily damaged the Main Building at Our Lady of the Lake University, school officials canceled classes for Wednesday.

Final exams, though, are still scheduled for next week, as well as graduation liturgies and commencement exercises, school officials said.

University officials said that students and faculty can get the latest on the status of classes for the rest of the week by logging on to the school's Web site.

A prayer service was scheduled for noon at the University Wellness and Activity Center.

Firefighters were called at 7:44 p.m. Tuesday to the university campus on the city's west side at 411 SW 24th Street. Multiple alarms were dispatched shortly after the initial response team arrived, SAFD Chief Charles Hood said.

The fire started on the fourth floor of the Old Main building on the campus, Hood said. More than 120 firefighters encompassing more than 30 units were at the scene, Hood said.

There were no reports of any injuries and officials at the university evacuated the building, including two dormitories completely, said university officials. One of the spires at the building collapsed.

The second and third floor of the building comprise computer labs and the fourth floor is occupied by the psychology department, according to various sources.

Two dormitories were evacuated and students in those dorms were not allowed to return, according to university officials. Food and shelter accommodations were made for students who were forced to leave their rooms, according to university President Tessa Martinez Pollack.

Hood said a significant amount of financial damage took place, but he did not have a specific number. Hood said high winds were to blame for spreading the fire.

A bomb threat was called in to the university Monday afternoon, prompting a brief evacuation of the campus. No devices were found on campus during Monday's investigation and there was no evidence Tuesday evening that the two events were linked.

The Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence founded the university in 1895, according to the school's history on its Web site. The school has offered classes since 1911, initially only for women.

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