Fire starts outside Bizzell Memorial Library Tuesday morning

A fire was extinguished outside Bizzell Memorial Library early Tuesday morning, according to an OU spokesperson.

In an email to The Daily, Director of Media Relations Kesha Keith wrote OUPD was alerted to a fire outside the library's south entrance — located on the South Oval — early Jan. 5. Shortly after, the Norman Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.

An investigation of the fire's cause is ongoing, Keith wrote. According to a Jan. 7 email from Keith, a person of interest had been identified in relation to the fire.

The library's south entrance will not be accessible "for the time being," Keith wrote, and those entering the library are asked to do so from the west entrance, located near the clock tower.

The Daily has requested records related to the incident and this article will be updated as more information is made available.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 3:17 p.m. Jan. 7 to include the identification of a person of interest in the ongoing investigation.