Fire hits Washington State veterinary school

In the early-morning hours of May 29, the Washington State University (WSU) police department and the Pullman, Wash., fire department responded to a fire in a building that’s part of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine on the Pullman campus.

No animals or people were harmed during the fire, Assistant Police Chief Steve Hansen says. This is the third fire on the Washington State campus during the span of a week. Hansen says police believe the fires were set deliberately, but they are waiting on lab results, including fingerprints and chemical analysis, to make a final determination. It could take two to three weeks for lab results to come in.

Hansen says the veterinary school building showed signs of forced entry through a window, and investigators found multiple ignition points where a fire wouldn’t normally start on its own.

The damage during the fire in the veterinary school was limited because a sprinkler system quickly extinguished the blaze, according to a statement released by the university, but the previous two fires destroyed two community centers, which were deemed a “complete loss.” The damage estimate for the three fires is at more than $800,000.