Fire in Moffett destroys DNA sequencing facility

A fire engulfed the Synthesis and Sequencing Facility in Moffet Hall around 6:30 a.m. yesterday, destroying most of the equipment in the room and causing smoke damage to the laboratory on the floor above.

University Public Safety, the Princeton Fire Department, the Kingston Fire Department and the Environmental Health and Safety office all responded to the fire. A hazmat team from Trenton was also called in as a precaution, University Fire Marshall Bob Gregory said.

Though there were no injuries, the equipment and the room were badly damaged, said Sharon Cohen, the academic manager for the molecular biology department.

A contractor called in by the Environmental Health and Safety office spent the morning disposing of the various chemicals that had been stored in the lab. Most hazardous materials in the lab were spared, Gregory said, with the exception of a one-gallon container of the chemical acetonitrile, which was consumed by the fire.

The fire has caused no health risk to the University community, he said.

The loss of the laboratory may prove to be a major blow to the molecular biology department. The lab, also referred to as Syn/Seq, was one of the department's major support facilities. Researchers used the lab to perform various routine but necessary tasks such as DNA sequencing and synthesis.

"This is the highest-technology equipment that we have in the department, and it was concentrated all in that one room," said Professor James Broach, who is also associate director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.

Preliminary estimates of the damage caused by the fire ranged from $1.5 million to $2 million. The fire was electrical in nature and was most likely caused by a malfunctioning power outlet, Borough fire investigator Steve Webb said. Equipment manuals, a wooden countertop and computer equipment provided further fuel for the fire, he said.

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"The lab really practiced good housekeeping and as a result of that there were not hazardous materials involved except for what was involved with the equipment," he said.

Repairs to the lab will take three to six months, Broach said. Meanwhile, lab operations will be moved to an empty lab nearby or contracted from other sources, he said.