A massive fire has destroyed a leading computer science research facility at the University of Southampton. Gas canisters exploded inside the Mountbatten building on Salisbury Road, Highfield, which was engulfed by a 100ft plume of smoke on Sunday morning. No-one was hurt, but the building, housing valuable equipment for making chips and optic fibres, was destroyed. A spokesman said some of the world's most advanced research was carried out there and its loss was devastating. The laboratory, part of the school of Electronics and Computer Science, was completely destroyed, and a nearby office building was damaged. John Lauwerys, secretary...