 "Photo: Drew Smith")
Austin Fire Department investigators concluded Wednesday that two recent fires near campus were caused by improperly discarded cigarettes.
AFD Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said the Dobie Center fire was accelerated by high wind gusts. The three-alarm fire briefly displaced more than 900 residents early Saturday morning. The fire destroyed the wooden deck surrounding a pool on the roof area and smoke could be smelled in the top floors of the neighboring residential tower.
Inside Dobie Mall, businesses below the pool area remained open over the weekend, and dehumidifiers and fans were running inside. Signs at Dobie Theatre cited water and fire damage that caused the cancellation of two movie screenings.
On Wednesday workers set up scaffolding on 21st Street to begin cleanup and repair of the pool area. Dobie management would not comment on the cost of the fire damage, but a previous AFD estimate put the cost at $600,000.
Tuesday morning's fire at Westview Condominiums on the 2800 block of Rio Grande Street burned a two-story wooden column in the complex's courtyard.
No cost estimate was available for the fire, Buck said, but damages were limited.
Be the first to comment on this article!