ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — A two-alarm fire broke out Saturday evening at the Marine Science Lab on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, prompting an evacuation of the building. More than 50 units of first responders arrived at the scene to battle the blaze.

The fire sent plumes of billowing gray smoke from the laboratory, and pillars of black smoke were visible for miles. Firefighters worked to combat the flames as the building's roof crumpled and debris peeled off the sides. Multiple firetrucks were seen at the site.

The college sent an alert at 5:57 p.m. that read: "Fire reported in MSL, Marine Science Lab. Evacuate building. Avoid area." People were evacuated safely from the lab building, and no injuries had been reported. University police said more information would be released as it became available.

Frank Biafora, interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at USF St. Petersburg, said an electrical storm could have been the cause of the fire. He pointed to the wind direction as a factor that limited the risk to other parts of the campus. "We are actually quite lucky that the wind is taking this to the east of us because we have residence halls and a whole lot of students on this campus," Biafora said.

The laboratory was built 80 years ago. USF Sailing coach Allison Jolly said the building's age could have made it vulnerable to catching fire. "[The lab] probably lacked some of the modern fire prevention things. It's one thing to have equipment ruined, but to have years of research go up in flames is so sad," Jolly said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Saturday evening. University police did not provide a timeline for when additional details would be made available.