Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: Ashley Studley The damage left after the fire between Townhouses 21 and 22

Residents of the Townhouses had to be evacuated on Wed. Oct 3 due to an external fire that started between two housing units.

Although the cause is still under investigation, a small fire started outside between houses number 21 and 22. According to senior James Lentz, a resident of Townhouse 22, his housemate Tom Heller first noticed the smoke outside of his third floor window. "Tom smelled the smoke, grabbed an extinguisher, and ran out of the house," Lentz stated.

According to a statement from Frank McDonald, the Associate Vice President for Safety and Security, Pace Security was the first on the scene, quickly followed by the Buildings and Grounds department, Residential Life, and then Police and Firefighters.

Although no one was injured, Residence Director Sue Reuter had to administer oxygen to Senior Sean Reilly, a resident of Townhouse 18. "We got outside and realized it wasn't a drill, so we grabbed fire extinguishers and ran out back," Reilly said. While Reilly was spraying, another person was behind him spraying an extinguisher as well, causing the smoke to envelope Reilly. "I couldn't really breathe and I started coughing, so Sue told me to go sit down and she administered oxygen to me."

The two houses suffered extensive water damage. Firefighters also had to cut a hole in Lentz's room's roof to reach the attic's crawl space.

"It's very unfortunate," said Lentz. "I really hope this gets resolved soon."

Next door to Lentz, Mike LaStella and Tommy Prugno's room also suffered from water damage. "It's very unfortunate that it had to happen. We should at least get reimbursed and compensated for damages," said Prugno.

The residents of each house were forced to move out for an undisclosed amount of time. The students have been placed at New Dorm and other Townhouses for the time being. "They should at least put us up at a hotel," argued one displaced student. "We pay eight thousand dollars to live here."

Pace was pleased with how the situation was handled, with Reuter thanking everyone at the townhouses for their action. "I want to thank everyone for being cooperative, especially the RA's for acting so quickly," she stated.

The cause was originally believed to be electrical wiring, but has since been ruled out. According to Director of Safety and Security, Vincent Beatty, a match or a cigarette may have been the cause for the fire.

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