Category Archives: Residence Hall/Dormitory

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Caldwells, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at university residence hall

A fire was extinguished at a Caldwell University residence hall on Monday, authorities said.

According to the Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department, their peers in West Caldwell got a call about an active fire alarm at the Mother Joseph Residence Hall at 5:17 p.m. The Caldwell Fire Department was immediately dispatched to the scene.

On arrival, firefighters found the alarm sounding and the building evacuated. Firefighters soon found “heavy smoke” coming from the second floor and an activated sprinkler system. Arriving fire crews stretched a line to extinguish the fire in the second floor recycling area, officials said.

Caldwell firefighters got mutual aid from Essex Fells, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, North Caldwell, Roseland and the West Essex First Aid Squad.

All units were clear of the scene at 7:07 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities said.

Officials said that fire damage was limited to the room of origin, but smoke and water damage was found throughout the building.

“The sprinklers and fire alarm system did their job and kept the fire in check until fire units arrived to completely extinguish the fire,” Chief Andrew Pollara said.

Caldwell University staff relocated students to other residence halls on campus, authorities said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tempe, AZ – Sprinkler system extinguishes stove fire at University Towers

One person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a small kitchen fire broke out at the University Towers student housing complex Tuesday evening, according to Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department spokesperson Brandon Siebert. 

The occupant who was injured suffered smoke inhalation and other minor injuries after falling while evacuating the building. Another person was evaluated by paramedics on scene but declined any further care, Siebert said.

Three people were temporarily displaced by the fire: two people from the unit that caught fire on the second floor, and one in the unit below, which sustained water damage, Siebert said.

The fire started after a frying pan with cooking oil was left on the stove unattended, Siebert said. The building’s automatic fire sprinkler system extinguished the flames and prevented the fire from spreading to other apartments.

University Towers is located at 525 S. Forest Ave. in Tempe.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Omaha, NE – Fire Sprinkler activated for fire in university dorm building; No injuries reported

The Omaha Fire Department, Omaha Police Department and Creighton University’s Department of Public Safety responded to an incident at a Kiewit Hall early this morning.

According to Cindy Workman, the university’s director of public relations, three small fires had been set at hand sanitizer stations. One of these fires triggered the fire suppression system in the building.

The students were safely evacuated to the student center and no one was injured.

The building was cleared for re-entry, and those students whose rooms were impacted by the sprinkler system were relocated.

Omaha Police and Public Safety are investigating the incident.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Duluth, MN – Fire sprinkler contains dorm room fire after refrigerator malfunctioned; No injuries reported

The Duluth Fire Department responded to an alarm in a dorm at 1105 Kirby Drive Monday night.

They arrived just before 8 p-m to find a small fire in a dorm room due to a refrigerator malfunction.

The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system and extinguished by firefighters. The dorm room was not occupied at the time of the fire and nobody was injured.

Water from the sprinklers caused some damage to adjoining rooms which remained habitable after cleanup.

Superficial damages were estimated at 2500 dollars to the room and contents.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Glassboro, NJ – Fire sprinklers contain dorm fire after hoverboard catches fire

Rowan’s Emergency Medical Services and the Glassboro Fire Department responded to a reported fire at Holly Pointe Commons on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and transported one person for injuries due to the incident, according to Vernon Howery, the chief of Rowan University EMS.

According to Michael Kantner, the assistant vice president of public safety and office of emergency management, the fire occurred early in the morning around 1-2 a.m.

Vice President for University Relations Joe Cardona said the fire source was a hoverboard (self-balancing scooter). The Glassboro Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the situation, as they do for every alarm; however, they wouldn’t comment on the definitive reason for the hoverboard’s fire. 

“[The hoverboard] is the crux of their investigation. They are looking at all avenues, and there haven’t been any determinations yet,” Kantner said.

Hoverboards are no stranger to fire departments around the United States. Since 2015, there have been many incidents involving their combustion. They are prohibited on school property by Rowan’s Housing Policy regarding engines. The United States International Trade Commission also prohibits them.

According to the Federal Register, in 2016 the International Trade Commission issued a ban on various hoverboard manufacturers due to patent claims made by Segway Inc. Many of the manufacturers listed are internationally based in countries that lack strict regulations on their products’ safety.

Purdue University’s school newspaper, The Exponent, documented a similar hoverboard fire on Sept. 14, 2020 inside one of their dorms Shreve Hall. Both Rowan and Purdue’s incidents occurred early in the morning. 

The sprinkler system in Holly Pointe caused water damage to the surrounding areas in the first floor B-pod. 

“Thank goodness for the sprinkler system, that fire was basically knocked down by the time the fire department showed up,” Kantner said. “They did sustain some water damage in the hallway of B-pod and in rooms adjacent to the incident location.” 

Currently there are no reports on the number of students and dorms affected by water damage. Rowan EMS reported only one individual requiring medical attention due to the fire, and their condition is unknown.

An update will be available at thewhitonline.com when and if appropriate.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Missoula, MT – Dorm hall fire sprinkler system puts out fire; No injuries reported

Officials with Flathead Valley Community College confirmed that a fire broke out in Founders Hall Sunday morning.

FVCC says no one was injured in the fire. They added that the building’s fire and sprinkler system worked properly, and the Kalispell Fire Department put the fire out.

Campus officials said some students were still living in the dorm. While only a few were affected by the fire, they say all of them were relocated to other rooms.

Authorities were not able to confirm the cause of the fire.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Louisville, KY – Sprinkler system contains fire after man sets trash can in dorm at U of L on fire

 A man was arrested Saturday after police said he started a fire inside a University of Louisville dormitory bathroom. 

According to an arrest report, police took Antonio Spuria, 18, into custody after witnesses and evidence pointed to him setting a 55-gallon garbage can on fire around 2 a.m. Saturday inside the men’s restroom on the second floor of Miller Hall Dormitory, located on U of L’s Belknap Campus. 

Multiple students were inside the dorm at the time of the fire, and the building had to be evacuated for several hours while crews with the Louisville Fire Department cleaned up and repaired its sprinkler system, according to Spuria’s arrest report. 

Spuria was booked at Louisville Metro Corrections around 2:30 p.m. Saturday and was charged with first-degree arson and wanton endangerment, according to his arrest report. 

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Athens, GA – Fire contained to single dorm room thanks to fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

While a fire damaged one room at a University of Georgia student dormitory over the weekend, the ensuing water damage means many other students were affected.

As a result, 54 students have been temporarily displaced from Myers Hall, which is off South Lumpkin Street on UGA’s campus, university spokesman Greg Trevor told AJC.com.

The fire took place early Sunday morning and was isolated to a single room, triggering the sprinkler in that room, Trevor said in an emailed statement. 

The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department responded and were able to quickly extinguish the fire. No one was injured, and students were able to reenter the building later that morning.

However, the water damage affected 54 students, the statement said. The university is providing temporary housing for those affected while the cleanup is completed. The places where those students will be housed was not provided.

The damages are expected to be repaired by Monday, allowing those students to move back into the dorm.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. AJC.com has reached out to the fire department for more information.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tempe, AZ – High-rise fire at Arizona State University residence hall kept in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

More than three dozen people have been displaced after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Tempe on Friday morning.  

When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the 8th floor, according to the Tempe Fire Department. 

Fire and medical units from Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa responded to the fire call at the University Towers on Mill Avenue and University Drive around 11 a.m.

Firefighters say they found food burning on the stove in one unit. The building’s sprinklers went off and kept the fire from spreading.

The high-rise is a residence hall for Arizona State University students. 

About 40 people from 16 units are unable to return to their apartment primarily because of water damage, according to ASU. 

No injuries were reported. 

ASU’s Fire Marshal Office is investigating. 

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

West Lafayette, IN – Fire sprinklers control fifth floor dorm room fire at Purdue University

When Hawkins residents were roused by the blaring fire alarms Jan. 23 at 2:43 a.m., most assumed it was a badly timed drill.

The residents on the east wing of the fifth floor saw the smoke.

A resident’s reverse osmosis water filter had caught fire. Its owner was not in the room at the time, and the sprinklers were able to contain the small fire. No residents were harmed, but the lasting flooding left many of their belongings damaged. The student declined to comment.

Hannah MacLean, a freshman in the College of Science, was one of the other residents on the east wing of the fifth floor, just five or six doors down from room where the fire started.

“I didn’t really take it that seriously (at first),” MacLean said. “I kind of took my time. … Then I open my door, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I see smoke,’ and then I kinda panicked.”

MacLean said most of the residents were out of the building by 2:45 a.m.

By the time the fire truck arrived, the fire had been contained, though there was still smoke present, according to Purdue Fire Chief Kevin Ply.

“(The fire) was completely accidental, and the sprinklers worked just as they were designed to work,” Ply said.

According to MacLean, there was water coming from the door across from the room where the fire started, but Ply explained that only the sprinkler in that room went off because of their design.

“(The sprinkler) reaches a predetermined temperature and then that sprinkler head pops, and so when that happens, water comes out of the sprinkler at roughly 30-35 gallons per minute,” Ply said.

When the fire department arrived, they had to turn off the sprinkler system, which is why there was so much flooding, Ply said.

Purdue spokesperson Tim Doty said via email because of the sprinkler system, some rooms will be offline for the rest of the semester and affected students have been offered temporary housing or new housing assignments within University Residences.

The residents were not allowed back into the building until around 4 a.m., according to MacLean. The fifth-floor residents were told they had to find a different place to stay for the night, but many other Hawkins residents offered to host them.

MacLean stayed with her friend, Maya Radjenovich, a freshman in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

“A lot of girls seemed to be really understanding and open to allowing people to spend the night with them,” Radjenovich said. “It was actually really sweet to see.”

The next night, fifth-floor residents still weren’t able to return to their rooms. Hawkins offered temporary housing to any residents who weren’t able to find a place to stay with another resident and escorted those who wanted to get any belongings from their rooms.

The fifth-floor residents weren’t allowed back into their rooms until Friday at 5 p.m., according to MacLean.

“As you can see, my books are all water-damaged,” she said, brandishing her wrinkled notebooks. “Luckily, my stuff didn’t get too damaged.”

MacLean said the maintenance workers worked hard to clean residents’ rugs, shoes and any other objects they could launder, but many girls’ belongings were too water-damaged to be reclaimed. When MacLean moved back in, there were still large fans running in an attempt to dry everything off.

“For the girls whose stuff that was damaged that needs to be replaced, I know they’re filing a report,” Mac Lean said.

Wednesday morning, residents received an email saying that Hawkins would not be reimbursing residents for any damages sustained due to the flooding.

“We are unable to assist with your request of reimbursement for damages to student owned clothing and furnishings,” the email read. They suggested reaching out to insurance companies and apologized for the unfortunate circumstances.