“Shocking Announcement from CU Boulder University: Here’s What Happened”

Norlin Library at the University of Colorado Boulder fully reopened on Monday, Feb. 26, after a fire earlier this month caused portions of the building to close for several weeks.

The exact cause of the fire at Norlin is still under investigation. According to documents from the Boulder Fire-Rescue Department, however, the fire originated from a single chair on the second floor. The report, prepared by Chief Fire Marshal David Lowrey, also points to a nearby light fixture as the “only possible” source of ignition.The fire didn’t spread to any nearby bookshelves, according to the report.

Firefighters arrived at Norlin Library at 6:53 a.m. on Feb. 9, about an hour before the library officially opened. When they arrived, they were met by University of Colorado Boulder staff and found smoke in the main library area of the second floor.

After searching for the source of the smoke, they discovered a chair “burned to ashes,” while the carpet under the chair was melted, according to an incident report prepared by firefighters. The report also identified smoke and ash damage in the surrounding area.The chair burned completely into a circular pile of char with almost nothing left except metal part[s] and some of the fabric from the back of the chair,” Lowrey’s report said.

No sprinklers turned on while the fire burned, which Lowrey said was likely because the fire was not hot enough to activate them.

After putting out the fire with an extinguisher, firefighters initially searched for a phone charger or rechargeable battery that could have started the blaze. They didn’t find anything.Because Norlin Library is state property, the CU Boulder Police Department is leading the full investigation into the fire’s cause. Officials have not made a final determination in their investigation.

“CUPD is continuing to analyze evidence and conduct interviews regarding the Norlin fire. CUPD will continue to update the public with any significant case updates,” CUPD Spokesperson Christine Mahoney said in a statement.

While no library materials burned in the fire, some books sustained smoke and ash damage that required library staff to contract a cleaning company that specializes in restoration services. Some areas of the library were closed for weeks as cleaning continued.The company, SERVPRO, used specialized vacuums and rubber sponges to clean the covers of the books, according to statements published in CU Boulder Today. Some paintings suffered soot damage and needed to be assessed for cleaning, the university said.

While Norlin Library has resumed normal operations, and most of the fire remediation is done, the decision on whether the university will need to replace any library materials is pending.

“[University] Libraries is still unpacking the boxes returned to them from the cleaning company,” said Stacy Wagner, a CU Boulder spokesperson, in an email. “It is possible that we won’t need to replace any items but we won’t know until we’ve reviewed the items properly.