Propane tank blazes at law school construction site

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A propane tank reportedly caught fire on the site of the new Marquette University Law School about 4 p.m. this afternoon.

Brigid O’Brien Miller, director of communications for Marquette University confirmed that as of 5 p.m. the fire was still burning, but was contained. However, she said officials were unsure of the cause of the blaze.

Four people were on site at the time the fire broke out, but they were all evacuated safely, Miller said. Those individuals were not identified.

There were no reported injuries.

The Haggerty Museum of Art, located next to the site, was evacuated and night classes at Marquette’s College of Business and Administration, located adjacent to the site, were cancelled as a precaution.

Officials from Opus North Corp., the construction company in charge of the project, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Miller said they did not know if the fire would delay construction on the new $85 million law school, scheduled to open in 2010. The ground breaking took place this past May.

“At this point, it’s too early to tell,” she said.

According to the law school’s Web site, as of Feb. 9, work on the foundation walls, footings and columns of Eckstein Hall had been completed. The concrete slab on grade for the first level parking has been poured as well as the concrete deck of the second level of parking.

The first of five pours of a concrete deck of the first floor of the building took place at the beginning of February and subsequent pours had been scheduled throughout the month.