Fire department still investigating cause of blaze at Wildermuth Center

After a fire on the southwest side of the Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center destroyed about half an acre of its roof, Bloomington Fire Department is still investigating the cause.

Bloomington Fire Chief Roger Kerr said he believes it was either caused by someone working up on the roof or from heat tape used to dam ice.

On Jan. 1, crews put a temporary roof on the destroyed part of building and staff can currently use the building, said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre.

"We'll be working as quickly as possible," MacIntyre said. "We'll start moving on getting contractors to get a permanent repair."

The fire is estimated to have caused about $100,000 to $500,000 worth of damage, said IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger.

After smelling smoke, staff members of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation called IUPD and the Bloomington Fire Department at about 4 p.m. Minger said. All staff members had evacuated the building by the time IUPD arrived.

When arriving on scene, fire fighters could see the fire from the inside of the building but could not reach it. The crew pulled sheets of copper off the top of the roof before they were able to see and extinguish the fire.

The fire was put out by 6 p.m., Kerr said. Seventh Street was closed for the duration of the process.

The fire department will continue to investigate the cause of the fire as well as decide what type of clean up will be needed. Though the fire department cleaned up as much as they could, there was still quite a bit of water on the gym floors, Kerr said.

"When something like this occurs, we notify the physical plant and they assess and decide what type of clean up will be needed," Minger said.