Category Archives: Residence Hall/Dormitory

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

Keene, NH – Sprinkler system puts out fire in college residence hall

Firefighters say a small fire in a Keene State College dorm room was put out by a sprinkler system.  The fire department was dispatched shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday to the Pondside 1 Dormitory. There was no one in the room at the time of the fire. The cause and origin are being investigated. Damage is estimated at $10,000.  The three-story, 57-unit building houses 100 students and staff.

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

Boston, MA – Residence hall fire at Boston College contained with help from sprinkler system, No injuries reported

A fire broke out on the fourth floor of Welch Hall shortly after midnight last Tuesday morning. The fire was most likely due to a small refrigerator experiencing an electrical issue, according to Eric Fricke, a spokesman for the City of Newton Fire Department.

While the none of the room’s residents were injured, they will be relocated to a different room for the remainder of the year due to the damage the fire caused.

A number of rooms on the third and fourth floors experienced water damage because the sprinkler system activated, causing several dozen residents to be temporarily relocated. Overnight housing was provided to six Boston College students.

“Throughout the day, Facilities Services has worked to dry out the affected rooms using dehumidifiers and fans,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn said in an email. “They expect that all students, except those in the room where the fire started, will be able to return to their rooms by this evening.”

Investigators are still determining the reason that the fridge caught fire. Fricke said the refrigerator, which was placed under one of the residents’ beds and was not originally distributed by BC, caught on fire either because it was overfilled, leaving it without “room to breathe,” or because it short-circuited.

Welch residents were forced to wait outside shortly after the fire alarm went off. After a while, they were moved to McElroy Commons. Because the fire activated the sprinkler system, students were not allowed to return to Welch until 3 a.m. When one of the sprinkler heads goes off, the sprinkler company has to replace it, causing the students to be kept away from their dorms for a prolonged period of time.

A burnt bed frame, destroyed mattress, television, and mini fridge were outside of Welch this morning. Glass appeared to be missing from several of the top-floor windows. Fricke said that the windows may have cracked due to the heat of the fire, or firefighters breaking the windows for ventilation.

Fricke sees this incident as a teachable moment for students, which should encourage them to practice safety. He noted that improperly using power strips often causes fires on college campuses. “College students are kind of [unaware of risks],” Fricke said. “What ends up happening is they don’t appreciate the dangers.”

Apartment Building, Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tucson, AZ – Fire at college student apartment put out by sprinkler system

Thanks to a sprinkler system both lives and property was saved from a fire on Tuesday, March 13 according to a news release from the Tucson Fire Department.  An alarm sounded around 5 p.m. Tuesday, notifying the 911 center of a possible fire on the 6th floor of an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Congress. TFD sent a truck to investigate the alarm and when firefighters arrived they found the sprinkler system was on and working.

Fire crews shut down the sprinklers and put stops in the two sprinklers that activated, according to the release. They also treated a resident at the scene, who was initially hurt by the fire.

According to the release, the resident, a college student, had been cooking dinner when he stepped in for a quick shower while his dinner simmered. However a short time later the student heard the alarm going off and ran to the kitchen. He attempted to put the fire out, but the fire had spread to the point where he wasn’t able to stop it, at that point the sprinkler system kicked in.

Both the student in the apartment where the fire was and the unit below it will be displaced until the water and fire damage can be repaired. Crews shut down the sprinkler system once the fire was out. This means the sprinkler system is out of service, leaving the building vulnerable. A Tucson Fire inspector was called to the scene to ensure the property would be protected until the sprinkler system could be reactivated and placed back in service.

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

Grand Forks, ND – Fire in university residence hall caused by unattended candle extinguished by sprinkler system

The Grand Forks Fire Department says the cause of the fire reported at Walsh Hall on the campus of the University of North Dakota on March 2nd.

The newly released fire investigation report revealed an unattended candle ignited a towel handing nearby. The 5 to 6 foot flames from the candle, towel and cardboard stored near the bed, activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system.

Fire crews say residents tried to put out the fire with a wet towel but were not able to. The sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire.

The activation of the sprinkler system in the dorm room minimized the building damage to only $35,000 with $500 of personal contents lost. Walsh Hall is valued at $2.5 million and has a total content value of $750,000.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Union, NJ – Residence hall fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A lit candle caused a fire on Jan. 17 in Upperclassman Residence Hall and triggered the sprinkler system causing water damage to parts of the building, according to University spokesperson, Margaret McCorry.

The candle fire broke out in a student’s bedroom on the seventh floor of the Upperclassman Residence Hall. The fire was quickly put out by the building’s sprinkler system, keeping the fire from stretching beyond the bedroom. No injuries were sustained in response to the fire.

“The safety of our students is our top priority,” said Maximina Rivera, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Residential Student Services. “We thank our first responders and others who helped ensure our students were safe during this incident.”

Water from the sprinkler system flowed into the hallway of the seventh floor, as well as into rooms on the sixth floor, fifth floor, and the dining hall kitchen area. This resulted in saturated carpets and damage to personal property, according to Rivera in an email sent to Upperclassman Hall residents.

“It sucked because we couldn’t get to our rooms till two in the morning,” said Andrea Antall, junior and Upperclassman Hall resident, in reference to the night of the fire. “ I didn’t have anything to do. I had full day of classes the next day and I couldn’t really sleep. It was just a real shitty night.”

On the night of the fire, the students were mostly lingering around outside the dorms. Antall said it was about three or four hours before they finally got back to the room. She couldn’t remember if there was an official notice sent out to let them know they could return to their dorms. She just remembers people yelling they can go back inside of the building.

“It was really cold,” said Antall. “We actually went to Freshman Residence Hall because my teammates were living in there. So we stayed with them for a few hours until we were let back in the rooms.”

Antall lives on the fifth floor of Upperclassman Residence Hall. It did not just affect her night, but also her week. Antall was unable to get food from the dining hall due to maintenance from the water damage. She had to find food from other places on campus. Cougar’s Den had extended its hours to assist those inconvenienced by the water damaged dining hall, according to Antall.

According to Kean’s 2017- 2018 Resident Student Handbook under violations two, setting or fueling a fire of any size and/or possession of highly flammable materials inside the residence halls, including gasoline, gas can or container ( whether containing fuel or empty), gas-powered vehicles, kerosene, fireworks, candles or incense, live Christmas trees, neon signs, and string of lights are prohibited.

Those who commit violations for the first time receive a warning. After the second time, they are placed on House probation which can last for up to a year. If they receive another violation, the students residence hall contract is terminated. They will have to vacate after 48 hours, they will no longer be allowed to trespass on to the residence hall and a period of termination is placed. If further University disciplinary action is necessary, a written notification to the Office of Community Standards and Student Contact is sent.

“We also thank our students for their patience while we assessed the damage,” said Rivera. “This incident shows how important it is for students to follow policies that strictly prohibit candles in the residence halls.”

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

Manhattan, KS – Dormitory fire at Kansas State University extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire at a Kansas State dormitory displaced about two dozen students. University officials say the fire early Friday started on the fourth floor of Wefald Hall. All students were evacuated for about three hours. No injuries were reported. Sprinklers extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.

Manhattan officials say the fire apparently was caused by a faulty fan. University officials say the fire caused $5,000 of damage to the building and $3,500 of damage to contents. The coeducational dorm houses 540 students. It was built in 2016 on the west side of the Manhattan campus.

UPDATE: Students were allowed to return to their rooms after an early morning fire at Wefald Hall on the K-State Manhattan campus. The fire was first reported at 6:26 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Wefald residence hall, according to K-State Police.

MANHATTAN — No injuries were reported in a Friday morning fire at Wefald Hall on Kansas State University’s Manhattan campus. The fire was extinguished by the hall’s suppression system, according to the K-State Police Department. Students were evacuated from the hall and relocated to Kramer Dining Center. Denison Avenue between Claflin Avenue and Platt Street is closed for emergency vehicles.

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

Durham, NC – Dorm room fire at Duke University extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A dorm room was damaged in a fire at Duke University on Saturday evening, officials said. The fire was reported at 7:48 p.m. at 420 Chapel Drive, according to Durham fire officials. “Firefighters found the sprinkler system had activated and extinguished a small fire in a dorm room,” Chris Iannuzzi, deputy chief of the Durham Fire Department said in a news release. Iannuzzi said the fire broke out in House HH at Few Quad on the Duke campus. The student who lived in the dorm room needed to be moved to a different room, Iannuzzi said. All students were later allowed back into the dormitory. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said. “But it is not believed to be intentional,” the news release said.

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

San Antonio, TX – Fire in university apartment building under construction put out by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system put out a small fire in an apartment building under construction at the Our Lady of the Lake University campus Sunday morning. The San Antonio Fire Department said the fire started around 11:30 a.m., and firefighters arrived to a smoke-filled room. An SAFD spokesperson said, while the building was under construction, the sprinkler system was functioning. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and SAFD said it’s not clear yet how much damage was caused.

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

Kennesaw, GA – Fire in on-campus residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system

*** No Media Coverage ***  On 11/9/17 – A fire in a residence hall room at Kennesaw State University was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler head.  The fire started from a vape e- cigarette battery and damage from the fire was contained to one room in a two bedroom suite.   This large residence hall includes 485 two- or four-bedroom suites.

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

Parkland, WA – Fire on 8th floor of campus residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire ignited in a Tingelstad dorm room around 1 p.m. Nov. 3, starting in a three person room on the 8th floor. According to the Campus Safety (CSAF) report, “combustible materials” were stored on top of the kitchenette stove. The Pierce County Fire Prevention Bureau report states that the right rear burner was inadvertently activated, causing the materials to flare.

“The fire was a complete accident,” first-year and 814 resident Ben Leschensky said. “Nobody was in the room at the time of the fire, and we hadn’t used the oven in over a week.”

The fire singed a significant portion of the wall and cabinetry near the stove before the sprinkler triggered and effectively extinguished the flames. However, the sprinkler kept running even after the fire was out, causing flooding in 814 and a slew of rooms on the eighth floor. Leschensky said the 8th floor lounge, common kitchen and study room sustained water damage as well.

The fire alarm sounded between 12:50 and 1 p.m. CSAF responded to the scene at 1:03 p.m., followed by Facilities Management at 1:22 p.m. Two fire trucks from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue (CPFR) also responded.

Elevator use was reserved for students with accessibility needs and responders. Emergency responders sectioned off the 8th floor while they worked on rectifying the initial damage.

Leschensky was in class when the fire occurred and recalled receiving a phone call from his roommate shortly after informing him of the damage.

“I was concerned about the extent of the damage, and was playing a ton of worse-case scenarios through my head as I walked to lower campus,” Leschensky said.

Once there, Leschensky and his roommates answered questions for CSAF, CPFR firefighters and the responding Fire Marshal. Leschensky said he felt relieved to know the kitchen was the only damaged area. However, he said he was also “bummed about all the people that were upset at us as a result of the fire.”

Leschensky and his roommates received alternative Tingelstad living arrangements from Residential Life until their room receives the proper repairs. Leschensky said the fire has added excess stress to his first year at Pacific Lutheran University.

“Relocating to a new room, trying to settle into a new routine and taking a lot of negativity from all the people affected has made this more stressful than it needed to be,” Leschensky said. “College is already a grind, so this whole situation just made it worse. I’m just burned out, literally.”