Category Archives: Residence Hall/Dormitory

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Boca Raton, FL – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at college dorm

At around 10:28 p.m. the fire alarm at Heritage Park Towers (HPT) went off, prompting residents of the building to evacuate. 

“It started on the first floor in the laundry room in HPT’s south tower. What lit on fire was one of the dryers,” said resident Lorenzo Biondo, who was in the laundry room when the fire started. 

“I was in the [laundry] room, and I saw smoke,” continued Biondo.  “We opened the dryer that the smoke was coming from and there was a fire in the back of the machine that started to get bigger.” 

According to firefighter Raquel Lea, the laundry room will most likely be closed off for an ​​unknown amount of time as the fire sprinkler system has since flooded the room. 

The fire alarm went off within a minute of opening the dryer. 

“I believe it was an RA who pulled the fire alarm. It happened relatively quickly,” Biondo said.

As residents began to evacuate the building, they crowded on the breezeway. 

“I instructed them to move towards the volleyball courts,” said HPT resident assistant Christine Robinson, “which is the protocol we are taught as a resident assistant.” 

Resident Darien Strevel described their experience while evacuating the building. 

“I walked down to the first floor and it was really hot,” they said.

Amaya Swelland, a first floor resident of Heritage Park Towers was scared by the fire. 

“I was sitting at my computer and suddenly I heard an alarm,” Swelland stated. “I ran out to the hall and there was smoke everywhere. I heard people saying that it was a dryer, which made sense because the laundry room is located on my floor.”

Around 11:12 p.m., several firemen collectively pulled out the heavy dryer that started the fire. There was an audible cheer from the residents of HPT, who were still gathered outside of the building. Many residents began clapping. 

As of 1:30 a.m., students are still evacuated outside of the building.

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.