Category Archives: Residence Hall/Dormitory

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Charlotte, NC – Arson fire in university residence hall limited by sprinkler system

A UNCC student has been arrested for starting a fire inside a residence hall on Wednesday afternoon.  UNCC Police say Kaci Stackhouse, 19, was arrested Friday and charged with first degree arson. She was transported to the Mecklenburg County Jail.  The fire was started in a suite in the Oak Residence Hall and caused only minor damage, thanks to the buildings sprinkler system, according to UNCC officials.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential High Rise

New Brunswick, NJ – Sprinkler system successfully activates in Rutgers University residential high-rise fire; No injuries reported

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from The Yard @ College Ave this afternoon after a grease fire on the 12th floor set off the alarms and sprinkler systems — but according to students on the scene, there was a notable gap between the evacuations of the top and the bottom floors. “The sprinkler system activated, causing water to reach lower floors down to the lobby,” said University spokesperson Neal Buccino. “Residence Life representatives have been on (the) scene since the incident began.”

No injuries were reported, but according to Buccino, approximately 26 students were displaced as a result of flooding in their apartments. He said Residence Life has connected those students with temporary housing that will be available until they can return to their apartments. Laura Dengrove, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said that some individuals were asked to provide a record of the possessions in their apartments as a provision in case of flooding-related damage.

“We didn’t really see anything because we’re on the fourth floor. Apparently there were flashing lights near the elevators but we didn’t get any alarm at all, even though the people above us did,” Dengrove said. “There are some people who have been out here for an hour — we just got out five minutes ago. When you look at the whole picture that probably isn’t great.”

The Sojourner Truth Apartments opened earlier this year and aside from drills, this was the first time that an emergency has forced students to evacuate the building. There are a total of 442 students currently living in the complex. Michael Collins, a School of Engineering senior, lives just two floors below where the kitchen fire took place. Unlike residents on the fourth floor, he said he was alerted to the emergency by a series of alarms.

“The first thing that happened around 3 p.m. was we got an alarm that was automated, saying ‘an emergency has been reported’ and to the best of my knowledge it’s the same alarm that happens when there’s a fire drill,” Collins said. “I was cooking when it happened so I figured I’ll just be quiet and stay in my room — it’s a drill, it happens. Then about 15-20 minutes ago we got an actual alert from a person on an intercom saying ‘all residents evacuate’ it sounded legit so we all left.”

After talking to some of the other displaced students, Collins said he began to realize that everyone appeared to have been evacuated at different times, through different means. “I did hear my friend got an actual person on the intercom first and apparently that was a lot earlier than in my apartment. She’s on the seventh floor. To me it seems very disorganized and I’m very confused as to what would happen if a bigger emergency actually did happen,” Collins said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system extinguishes electrical fire in dorm room at University of St. Thomas

An electrical fan in a resident’s room sparked a small fire early Monday morning in Grace Hall, tripping the sprinkler system and the fire alarm, and requiring the building to be evacuated.

The sprinkler system extinguished the fire. St. Paul Fire Department also responded promptly.

Fire alarm and suppression systems worked the way they were designed to work, and the fire was contained to a small area. Residents evacuated and everyone is safe.

The University of St. Thomas places the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff as our highest priority. The university regularly tests fire safety and suppression systems. In this instance, all systems worked as required.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Bowling Green, KY – Fire on 10th floor of university residence hall contained by sprinkler system

Western Kentucky University officials say a kitchen fire broke out on the tenth floor of Pearce Ford Tower early Monday afternoon.  Students say water from the sprinkler system has pooled up on floors nine and ten, with some students reporting damaged belongings, though this hasn’t been confirmed by officials.  The fire was contained to the kitchen, and students are expected to be able to return to the building after cleanup is complete.  No injuries have been reported to us at this time.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Davis, CA – Sprinkler limits fire damage in on-campus residence hall; No injuries reported

UC Davis students were displaced from their dormitory Sunday after a stovetop fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, according to the Davis Fire Department. Officials said burning oil caught fire in a fourth-floor unit at 8th and Wake, 1440 Wake Forest Dr., at about 8 p.m. The fire activated the sprinkler system, which soaked that unit as well as three below it.  No injuries were reported. About eight or nine students were displaced due to the water damage, but the building owner pledged to put them up in hotel rooms until they could return to their residences, fire officials said. Both Davis and UC Davis fire crews responded to the scene.

Apartment Building, Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Hamden, CT – Fire at university apartment complex contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Three Quinnipiac University students in three apartments were displaced due to water damage after a kitchen fire in a student housing complex Tuesday evening, officials said. There were no injuries reported in the fire at the Whitney Village Quinnipiac University student housing complex at 3075 Whitney Ave.  The Hamden Fire Department was dispatched to the kitchen fire at 6:24 p.m. after being notified by the Quinnipiac security office.  Engine 5 arrived on scene at 6:26 p.m. and said students were already evacuating the building into the parking area, according to a released from the fire department. Light smoke was showing in the interior hallways and stairwell leading to the second-floor apartment, the release said.

Capt. Ed Evers reported a sprinkler activation in the kitchen of apartment six. Hamden firefighters confirmed the fire had been extinguished and checked for extension into the walls and attic area. Salvage work to contain the damage from water run-off and ventilation of the building followed, according to the release. Quinnipiac security and maintenance personnel were on scene to assist students. All three displaced students were successfully relocated by the university, officials said.

Hamden Fire Marshal Brian Dolan determined the fire ignited as a student resident was cooking on the stove top. The student attempted to control the fire with a hand-held extinguisher, but was unsuccessful. The resident in apartment six notified the building resident assistant of the fire, who in-turn notified QU security and the fire department, and assisted with the safe evacuation of students, fire officials said.

“Residential sprinkler systems, such as the one in place at this location, are an effective means of fire control and help to minimize structural damage,” fire officials said in the release. “When combined with an audible and monitored alarm system, residents have timely notification of incipient fires and a greater chance of safe building evacuation.” The Hamden Fire Marshal’s office and the Quinnipiac Safety Department work together in an on-going basis to maintain and inspect these important systems, officials said.  “We are grateful that there were no injuries reported,” Quinnipiac spokesman John Morgan said. “That is due in large part to the swift action by the Hamden Fire Department and the university’s public safety and facilities departments to extinguish the fire and contain the damage to the building, which has a fully functional fire-protection system. The three students affected by the fire have been reassigned to new units while the damaged units are being repaired.”

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, School / University

Glassboro, NJ – Fire in university residence hall put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Residents of Mimosa Hall were forced to evacuate their dorms shortly before noon on Friday, after a fire started in a dorm on the first floor of the residential hall, according to a Rowan Alert sent to students across campus. Firemen from Washington, Harrison and Glassboro townships and other first responders quickly arrived at the scene to contain the fire while residents waited outside.

Students were notified at the time by a mass text sent out by the university. No one was harmed during the initial fire.  Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona said that when he left the scene, firefighters still hadn’t determined the cause of the blaze.

“When you look at the room, it’s like whatever the fire was down on the ground in the corner,” Cardona said. Cardona also said the sprinkler system activated and put out the fire, which caused water damage to the first floor of Mimosa hall and the six students in the dorm where the fire started will be temporarily relocated until rooms are cleaned.

Freshman history major and resident of Mimosa, Julianne Tarrant, said while she was not in the building at the time of the fire, she had heard that the fire may have been caused by a box fan in the window of the dorm. Madison Klunk, an undeclared freshman living in the building, said the evacuation order was a major hassle for her.

“My aunt’s here to pick me up, and I can’t get in the building to get any of my clothes,” Klunk said. “So I’m going to have to leave and come back later and get it, and that’s an issue.”

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory

Flint Twp, MI – Fire at Baker College residence hall put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

All 46 residents have been cleared to move back into their rooms at Baker Hall East, except for three who live in the fire-damaged room. According to Baker College, they were the only students with property damage after the Wednesday evening incident and they’ve since been relocated.  The Flint Township fire department says it was a small cooking fire in their suite that was put out quickly when the sprinkler system activated, which caused water damage.  Baker College plans to cover the cost of their lost items.

(02/15/17) – A small cooking fire forces a Baker College dorm to be completely evacuated Wednesday night. The Flint Township fire department says the fire activated the sprinkler system at Baker Hall knocking out the flames pretty quickly. The unit was on the second floor, causing water damage on the first and second floor.  Crews had to evacuate everyone in the three story building for the night.  Power was also cut to the first two floors.  No one was hurt.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory

Athens, GA – Fire in University of Georgia residence hall controlled with help from sprinkler system

UPDATE: University Housing sent a letter to Brumby Hall residents this morning at 8:42 a.m. with a report of the evacuation. The letter said the fire alarms went off due to “a fire in the trash room of Brumby Hall,” causing the sprinkler system to activate. The letter also said no dorms were damaged with smoke or water. No one was injured as a result of the fire, “thanks to the cooperation of residents and the action of housing staff and emergency personnel.”  “Security of residents is our utmost priority,” the email said. “Therefore residents are required to evacuate the building anytime the alarm sounds.”

ORIGINAL: At approximately 7 p.m. Monday night, the fire alarm in Brumby Residence Hall at the University of Georgia sounded. Students were stranded outside for over three hours after two additional fire alarms were sounded following the initial alarm. When students were evacuating once the alarm was sounded, a resident assistant was heard notifying students departing from the emergency exits, “No, it’s not a false alarm.”

Payton Eason, a freshman psychology major from Villa Rica and resident at Brumby, was worried after hearing that the fire alarms were not false. “I thought this was going to be just another false alarm that we have almost weekly at Brumby. Turns out, there’s actually smoke, and the hall is literally on fire. Now, we’ve been here for more than two hours, sitting out here stranded,” Eason said.

Eason explained she was working on homework when the alarm sounded. “I have lots of homework due tonight at 10 p.m…Unfortunately, all my books, notes, and Macbook are up in the dorm so I guess I’m just stuck here until it’s all clear,” Eason said.  By 8:45 p.m., the alarm was off, but students were still stranded outside waiting for the all-clear from authorities to reenter the building.  Taylor Johnson, a freshman biology major from Columbus, heard prior to being cleared to return to the residence halls that the first floor was flooded from trying to extinguish the fire.

“My friend received a message and said that someone threw something in the trash chute that caught fire. It caused the sprinklers to go off and now the first floor is flooded,” Johnson said. As of 10 p.m., students were still not allowed to reenter the residence hall. By around 10:50 p.m., students began making their way back to their dorms in Brumby.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory

Greencastle, IN – Early morning fire at DePauw University residence hall extinguish by sprinkler system; No injuries

No students were injured in a small early-morning Tuesday fire at a DePauw University residence hall.  At 3:12 a.m., the Greencastle Fire Department was dispatched to Mason Hall at 402 E. Anderson St. on the report of a fire alarm.

Fire crews arrived two minutes later and began a search of the building. They discovered light smoke in Room 310, with the sprinkler system having already extinguished a small fire.

Greencastle Fire Chief John Burgess reported the fire appears to have originated from a piece of electrical equipment, but the case remains under investigation. The fire and sprinkler activation were contained to a single room, with an estimated $20,000 in damage occurring due to water.

Burgess reported no structural damage, noting that the sprinkler system performed its function of containing and extinguishing the fire. “Everything worked like it should,” he said.

The alarm led to the evacuation of the building. In an early morning email to faculty and staff, university president Mark McCoy reported that many students went to the Memorial Student Union Building or other campus structures.

McCoy further stated that a total of 140 students are housed in Mason but many had already left campus for Thanksgiving.

“As a campus, let’s give thanks for the fact that everyone is safe,” McCoy wrote to the staff, “and that is in large part to the great work of the Greencastle Fire Department, campus police and our caring and capable student life staff.”

Firefighters remained on the scene until 6:14 a.m. The building was reopened to students later Tuesday morning.

Mason Hall is a four-story structure situated on the Ubben Quad of the DePauw campus.

While false alarms are common in DePauw structures, longtime members of the campus community know they are not something to be taken lightly.

In April 2002 Rector Hall, which had been adjacent to Mason Hall, was destroyed by fire.

Although all students escaped safely, a pair of firefighters were injured in the large blaze that required 12 departments to combat.

The Rector Hall fire was caused by an electrical problem.