College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Champaign, IL – Early morning fire at University of Illinois residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system February 13, 2016 viking210 Fire officials are investigating what caused a trash can fire in a University of Illinois dormitory early Thursday morning. At 2:13 a.m., the Urbana and Champaign fire departments responded to a report of a fire at Scott Hall, 202 East Peabody Drive, in Champaign. When they arrived, the firefighters did not see anything from the outside, but on the second floor, they found smoke in the southwest hallway, said Urbana Fire Chief Brian Nightlinger. A fire had started in a trash can in a common area garbage closet, said Craig Grant, associate director of campus code compliance & fire safety. A sprinkler in that closet extinguished the fire. Firefighters were able to turn the sprinkler off before it caused significant damage, Nightlinger said. “The sprinkler system did its job,” Nightlinger said. The residence hall was evacuated until around 3 a.m. Students took shelter in Snyder Hall and the Student Dining and Residential Programs building, Grant said. Cleanup lasted into the early morning. Anyone with information on what may have caused the fire can contact the Champaign Fire Department at 217-403- 7200.
