05/31/2025
Beekeeper’s Smoker Burns New Entomology Building at University of California, Riverside (UCR) — February 16, 2025
A devastating fire on February 16, 2025, destroyed the newly completed Entomology building at the University of California, Riverside, along with its contents. Preliminary findings, supported by the official Riverside Fire Department report, indicate the fire was likely started by a beekeeper’s smoker that was not properly extinguished.
According to UCR staff, the building was locked at the time and access was restricted to a limited number of students and personnel. It has been confirmed that only one student used a smoker on the day of the fire February 16, 2025,. Her name will not be released at this time out of respect for privacy.
The findings of the Riverside Fire Department have been included so you can read them for yourself.
This tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder to the beekeeping community about the critical importance of smoker safety. We urge all institutions and individuals working with bees to review and reinforce strict protocols for smoker use, ensuring they are fully extinguished and cooled before being stored—especially in or near buildings containing flammable materials.
We hope that UCR and other programs are taking steps to improve safety guidelines to help prevent similar incidents in the future and to ensure no student or staff member has to experience such a loss again.
