The massive fire that destroyed a construction site near the University of Arizona caused about $10 million in damage, making it one of the most destructive blazes in recent memory, authorities said.
The Tucson Fire Department increased the damage estimate on Friday from the original amount, which was about $1 million. It also said the department is being assisted in the investigation by agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The department said a cause of the fire and where it originated have not been determined. The investigation is continuing.
The blaze ripped through the three-story wood construction site at East 10th Street and North Tyndall Avenue early Tuesday. Witnesses reported seeing the flames from as far as South Alvernon Way and East Valencia Road.
No one was injured in the fire as dozens of people were evacuated from an apartment complex damaged by the fire along with nearby vehicles.
It took 60 firefighters more than an hour to get the fire under control, a Tucson Fire Department news release said.
The Fire Department is being assisted by Tucson police and the ATF to investigate the cause of the fire. The department said teaming with the ATF was common in fires that cause more than $1 million in damage.
Plans for construction of the multistory student housing complex called The Mark are now in limbo. It was scheduled for completion in fall 2019.
