Cause of Cox Institute re remains a mystery to the public

Reconstruction costs estimated as high as $25 million

Almost four months after a massive blaze consumed the Cox Institute of the Dalhousie Agriculture Faculty in Bible Hill, the re’s origin has yet to be revealed.

“ e investigation into that re is still ongoing,” said Krista Higdon, a communications spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Fire Marshal’s o ce. “ e O ce of the Fire Marshal le on that incident has not been closed as of yet.”

The June 20 fire in the section known as “old Cox” burned throughout the night and into the early morning and required assistance from nine area fire departments to bring it under control. More than 250,000 litres of water were sprayed onto the building during the re ghting e orts.

A spokesperson for the faculty said reconstruction costs related to the re have been estimated at between $12 million and $25 million.

Bible Hill re chief Joey Bison said he hasn’t heard anything about the re’s origin either.

“We’d all love to know more about it but it’s all in their hands right now. From the re marshal’s o ce, they’re not releasing anything at all,” he said.

“With the size and magnitude of that building, I imagine they’re still sorting out some stu . at’s still all in their hands.”

Classroom and o ce activities that would have taken place within the Cox Institute have been re- located to other areas throughout the campus as well as to premises at the former Sears store of the Truro Mall.

And information on the faculty’s website includes an announcement from Dalhousie president Richard Florizone about the creation of the Agricultural Green Shoots Program that includes an initial funding of $650,000 to help researchers affected by the Cox re bring their research programs back on track as quickly as possible.