Category Archives: Residence Hall/Dormitory

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

Palo Alto, CA – Sprinkler system activated in fire at Stanford residential building

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more. The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

At around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night, some residents of Studio 1 at the Escondido Village residential complex were evacuated after a cooking fire contained to one apartment set off a sprinkler. A Studio 1 resident said that she and a group of other residents were not permitted to re-enter their complex for one hour and 20 minutes, and stayed at the nearby Community Graduate Center instead. At approximately 8:20 p.m., the alarms stopped ringing and students and visitors began to re-enter the complex, the resident said. The Palo Alto Fire Department had no additional information to offer as of Monday evening.

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

Normal, AL – Sprinkler system activates in overnight fire at university housing complex; No injuries reported

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more.  The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

The Foster Complex at Alabama A&M University has been reopened after a fire that started in a single room at 11:50 p.m. Monday. According to the university’s director of housing, Karla Miller, the fire activated sprinklers.

Jerome Saintjones with the university says the fire was caused by an electrical outlet, and the major factor impacting the need to temporarily reassign rooms was the triggering of the sprinkler system. He says the first and second floors of the women’s side of the structure were especially affected by this. University officials say they are using an incremental move-in approach, and the students who were reassigned after the fire have been notified of the move-in schedule. Students have been scheduled to return to the building by Friday, February 22, or have been reassigned to other residence halls. Male students have been allowed to return to the Foster Complex, and times were scheduled for all female students to pick up personal items. Female students who live on the first and second floors have been advised by the university to pack enough items for the rest of the week, during which they will remain displaced. Female students on the third, fourth and fifth floors will be able to return to the building on Wednesday. Officials say the university has and will continue to provide toiletries, blankets and hygiene items to the students that were displaced, and these are available at the 500-bed, five-story Foster Complex.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Dryer fire in UC Berkeley residence hall prompted sprinkler system to activate

UC Berkeley students evacuated the Foothill residence hall Sunday after a clothes dryer caught fire in Building 1, according to Berkeley Fire Department spokesperson Keith May.

BFD responded to the fire about noon. According to May, smoke from the fire filled the laundry room and triggered smoke detectors, activating a sprinkler. When firefighters arrived on scene, they put out the fire “very quickly,” May said in an email.

May added that students evacuated appropriately. The dryer was removed and has since been turned over to the UC Fire Marshal.

This incident was not the first of its kind at a UC Berkeley facility. In 2017, a dryer fire in Maximino Martinez Commons prompted a full evacuation. Several years earlier, a dryer in the basement of Haas Pavilion also caughtfire.

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

Merion, PA – Overnight fire in on-campus student apartment suppressed by sprinkler system

An apartment fire broke out on November 30, 2018, on the St. Joseph’s University campus at 701 City Avenue. The Fire started shortly before 12:40 AM while many students in the in five-story fully occupied building slept, studied, or in this case prepared a late night meal. The fire was fueled by a pan of cooking oil on the stove. The cooks had left the room and left the oil boiling unattended. The pan burst into flames, and the fire crept silently up the wall towards the ceiling of the apartment’s kitchen.

At precisely 12:38 AM the Montgomery County 911 communication center received the call for help. The dispatch center located in Eagleville sprung into action, immediately dispatching the Lower Merion Fire and Police Departments. “The sprinkler system did its job here and potentially saved lives,” said Lower Merion Chief Fire Officer Charles “Chas” McGarvey.

While the first responders were en route to the potential inferno the automatic sprinkler system kicked in and suppressed the fire. By the time the fire department and police were on location, the fire was out. Water was flowing from the sprinkler system, and a light haze of smoke filled the apartment. Residents self-evacuated when they realized there was an actual fire in the building, and not just an alarm.

Nine LMFD fire vehicles were on the scene arriving from across the township, including Station 26 from Narberth, Station 21 from Penn Wynne, Ladder 25 from Ardmore, and Engine 28-1 from Bala Cynwyd responded. The Lower Merion Fire Marshal’s office was on the scene.

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

Reading, PA – University dormitory fire contained to one unit by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

…. Firefighters had just been dispatched to a dormitory fire at Alvernia University, so some of the crews responding to the college were diverted to Lancaster Avenue. … The dorm fire at Alvernia occurred in Judge Hall, 440 Adams St. Searfoss said the fire sprinkler system contained the fire to one unit until firefighters arrived. No one was injured.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Stanford, CA – Sprinkler system activates to help control dorm fire at Stanford University; No injuries reported and damage limited

Around 6:30 p.m. last Sunday night, residents of Ujamaa House in the Lagunita residential complex were evacuated after a fire was reported in a resident’s room. According to Bec Smith ’20, Palo Alto Fire Department said the fire originated from an electrical wiring issue.  While no one was injured, certain halls flooded after fire sprinklers activated. According to SUDPS spokesperson Bill Larson, the scope of the damage included residents’ belongings, walls and ceilings.

Several residents said the student currently living in the room was not present when the incident occurred. Witnesses reported seeing firefighters throwing clothes out of the window of the room, which is reportedly in the Lower B section of Ujamaa.  At around 8:20 p.m., the A wing of the dorm reopened, but the B wing remained closed as of 10:00 p.m.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s anybody’s fault,” said resident Jamayka Young ’21, who lives next door to the room in which the fire allegedly took place. “[The resident] didn’t have anything happen because they weren’t there.”

Police from the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) and the Palo Alto Fire Department blocked off entry to the area around Roble Drive and Lomita Drive as well as the entrances to Ujamaa until the situation was confirmed to be safe.  “I saw that smoke was coming from the [affected] room,” said Ruth-Ann Armstrong ’21, another resident who lives near the room. “A [resident assistant] called the police, and it took them about 15 minutes to get here.”  Authorities confirmed that the scope of the damage was limited. “It’s all done,” said SUDPS officer Victor Lee. “It could’ve been worse, but I think it was isolated to one room.”

However, not all of residents’ worries have been assuaged. “I’m worried about my laptop, which is open and on my bed, and how I’ll get money from Stanford to pay for this,” said Young, referring to possible damage from the sprinkler system.  “It’s not great,” said Smith. “I have a midterm tomorrow; a lot of people have midterms tomorrow.”  Smith later added that “everyone is coming together in [Ujaama] to provide housing to people in B wing,” with residents from A wing offering places to sleep to those from B wing.

An email sent to the Ujamaa mailing list by RA Gia Page Soles at 11:16 p.m. stated that the Upper B wing of Ujamaa house was clear for access. The email also stated that the air quality was “fine,” and it also notified residents that dehumidifiers would be operating in the Lower B wing.  An email was sent to the same mailing list at 12:51 p.m. on Monday stating that anyone who was affected in the electrical fire was eligible to submit a form for reimbursement for any items that were damaged as a result of the incident.  The Daily has reached out to the Ujamaa RAs and RF for comment.

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

Starkville, MS – Sprinkler system activates in on-campus dorm room fire; No injuries reported

Mississippi State University officials say no one was hurt by a fire in a dormitory room.  The fire happened Sunday night on the third floor of Oak Hall on the Starkville campus.  The university said in a news release Monday that in addition to damage in the room where the fire occurred, about 30 other rooms were damaged.  The sprinkler system activated.  About 60 students were displaced, and the university is providing temporary housing in a hotel.  The university says an electrical fire is thought to have ignited some bed linens. The state fire marshal is investigating.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Boston, MA – Sprinkler system activated on third floor dormitory fire at Boston University

A fire in a Boston University dormitory on move-in weekend has forced the evacuation of about 40 students.

Boston fire officials say the fire broke out at about 10 p.m. Saturday night and was contained to one room on the third floor of the building on Commonwealth Avenue.

The fire set off the sprinkler system in the building and led to water and smoke damage on the first three floors.

Fire officials say one student was treated for a minor burn to her leg.

It was not clear Sunday morning when students would be allowed to return to their rooms.

The school says its residence life staff is working with the displaced students to find them places to stay.

Fire officials were investigating to determine how the fire started.

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

La Crosse, WI – Residence hall fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The La Crosse Fire Department responded to a fire call at 6:47 p.m. Thursday evening at UW La Crosse Eagle Hall.  An investigation revealed that an electrical fan malfunctioned directly below a sprinkler head, fire officials said.  The sprinkler contained the fire and crews were able to search the building and ventilate the smoke.  According to the press release, the fire and smoke damage was minimal.  No injuries were reported.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Chestertown, MD – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in college dormitory; No injuries reported

The Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal is continuing its investigation of Wednesday morning’s fire in one of Washington College’s dormitories. Public Safety Director Jerry Roderick said officers observed flames and smoke in the second floor suite of Talbot House at about 11:30 a.m. as the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Department was responding. Roderick said the sprinkler system in the dorm activated, extinguishing the fire. Roderick said there was smoke and water damage to the building. No injuries were reported. The two students who were displaced will be put up in other college housing.