At 4:27 a.m. on Sunday, a fire was reported in a fifth-floor room in Stayer Hall. All Stayer residents were immediately evacuated, and the rest of the Boston College student body was alerted via emergency text and email at 4:41 a.m.
The Boston Fire Department (BFD) responded to the scene, and reported on their Twitter account that the fire was caused by “smoking material that came in contact with a sofa and clothes,” and that the building’s sprinkler activated and contained the fire. They further reported that the fire and sprinklers caused $10,000 worth of damage, and there were no injuries.
Residents were moved to the lobby of Robsham Theater around 5 a.m. while the firefighters worked at the scene. The all-clear alert was sent out at 7:23 a.m., and students were then allowed back inside Stayer Hall.
Disaster restoration company Pro-Care Incorporated sent response vans to the campus later Sunday morning to begin cleanup work.
“The dorm room and the room below it experienced water damage from the sprinklers,” said University Spokesman Jack Dunn in an email. “BC’s facilities maintenance staff are working with vendors to clean and reopen the two rooms as soon as possible. The students have been temporarily relocated to other rooms in BC residence halls.”
As the BFD and BCPD are still investigating the cause of the fire, it is not yet clear whether the costs of the damages will be covered by the University or by the dorm room’s residents.
“The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” Dunn said. “The University, however, reserves the right to seek restitution if the students are found responsible.”
