Emergency personnel respond to fire at Ringling College construction site

Construction materials at the Ringling College of Art and Design Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center caught fire Tuesday afternoon, prompting emergency officials, including the Sarasota County Fire Department and Sarasota Police Department, to fight the 3-alarm blaze. 

The construction project, near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Way and Old Bradenton Road was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no injuries have been reported. The fire has been extinguished and is under investigated.

“We got the fire call at 12:22, we were here within six minutes and had the fire out in 30,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief Michael Regnier.

For many new construction projects, contractors will have equipment and materials delivered to the rooftop for temporary storage.

“A lot of times those materials are flammable,” Regnier said. “They take extra precautions, but unfortunately today those materials caught on fire and we’re here to take care of it.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Way remained closed between U.S. 41 and Cocoanut Avenue after 1:30 p.m.

— Managing Editor of Arts and Culture Nick Friedman and News Innovation Editor Alex Mahadevan contributed to this report.