The fire in the Lluís Salvador building of the UIB would have been caused by a flammable material

PalmaThe first signs regarding the fire declared on Saturday on the roof of the Archduke Lluís Salvador building at the University of the Balearic Islands campus indicate that the fire could have originated in an area where flammable construction material related to the renovation of the School of Hospitality kitchens was stored.

The UIB reported this Monday that the investigation initially rules out that the fire was related to the building's photovoltaic installation. None of the solar panels were directly affected by the flames. According to initial indications, the fire likely started in the storage area and the flames reached the asphalt waterproofing layer of the roof. It also affected a propane gas pipe, which caused a "fire dart".

The maintenance teams of the School of Hospitality and the UIB cut off the gas and electricity supply, an action that prevented the flames from spreading through the building. The fire was reported on Saturday around 3 p.m. and was extinguished by the Palma Fire Department and no one was injured.

Academic activity resumes as normal

After the fire, academic activity resumed normally this Monday at both the Faculty of Tourism and the School of Hospitality.

The only affected space was a Tourism classroom, which suffered the consequences of the extinguishing efforts. The classes that were to be held there have been moved to another space in the same building. The university keeps the investigation open to determine the exact circumstances in which the fire started. For now, the first indications place the possible origin in the area where there was flammable construction material and initially disassociate the fire from the photovoltaic installation.