Education

Building At 'Our Lady Of The Lake' Campus Burns

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― More than 100 students were displaced from their dormitory when a fire damaged a historic building on the campus of Our Lady of the Lake University, officials said.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said arson investigators are looking into the cause.

The blaze broke out Tuesday night in the Main Building, which housed a dorm and administrative offices.

Everyone was evacuated from the building and no injuries were reported, officials at the Catholic university said in a news release on the school's Web site.

But the fire displaced at least 111 students, the American Red Cross said. They were relocated elsewhere on campus, university officials said.

Wednesday morning classes were canceled, the school said.

Students say there has been false fire alarms for weeks. A bomb threat was discovered in a bathroom on Monday and led to an evacuation, but nothing was found. A trash can fire also was reported earlier on Tuesday in a building across the street from the one that burned. It was quickly doused, students said.

The Tuesday night blaze was reported at 7:44 p.m. by a security guard who said there was heavy smoke on the fourth floor, Fire Chief Charles Hood said.

Aerial television footage showed the flames against a backdrop of spires along the roof of the building. Strong winds complicated firefighter's job by turning water into mist, Hood.

More than 100 firefighters from San Antonio and the surrounding areas helped quell the flames, university officials said. They contained the fire before 10 p.m.

Smoke smoldered from the roof of the Main Building hours after crews put out a fire.

"It is just glorious the way it was, the stained glass windows, the turrets that were so impressive," said marketing professor Star Carey. "There is so much love in those buildings. The way the work was done, it is a major loss for the city as well as the students and staff."

The Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence founded the university in 1895, according to the school's history on its Web site.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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