Professor Leonard Freed surveyed the damage in his blackened office in Edmonson Hall. He studies endangered forest birds on the Big Island. Now everything from his computer to his slides are charred or covered in soot.

"It was like looking at 30 years worth of books and journals and reprints that may have been destroyed by the fire," said Freed.

Freed was also storing books his wife had salvaged from her UH office after the campus flooded in October 2004.

"I fear that those books that we were able to save from the flood are now charcoal," Freed said.

Investigators said an electrical fire likely started the trouble, but they are not sure if the outlet or a microwave is to blame. The flames melted a copper pipe, causing water to flood three floors. A contractor pumped hot air into the building to help dry it out and prevent mold.

Zoology department faculty members said they have been complaining about their facilities for years.

"We've had issues with this building -- smaller floods because of broken water pipes and we've had major electrical issues," said UH professor Gert de Couet.

Edmonson Hall was built in 1962. Its aging electrical system is number 58 on a list of 169 UH maintenance projects in need of $120 million in funding.

"It's about midway down so that's not to say that the problems at Edmonson were not recognized, but there are other problems on campus that had a higher priority," said Takayama.

"I've often described UH Manoa as a jewel in many ways, particularly intellectually, but it's badly tarnished physically," said UH chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.

Classes held in Edmonson Hall will resume on Tuesday in different rooms.

Professors will send an e-mail to students about the new locations.

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