Richard,
Here is a cut and paste from the article about the fire and the UNM
Dorm. It's from the "Daily Lobo" (UNM News Bulletin).
Rob
Fan caused Coronado
dorm fire
by James Barron
Daily Lobo
An electrical
short-circuit in a box fan
caused fire in a
dormitory room
Coronado Hall Tuesday
evening, according to
the UNM official leading
the investigation. The
fire damaged the room
and forced residents out
of the building for most
of the night.
Vincent Leonard,
UNM's fire safety
specialist for safety,
health and environmental
affairs, said the fan's
electrical cord had
lumpy coils, which led to
the fire in room 164 of
Coronado Hall.
The two residents, who
have not been identified,
UNM student Chris
Kennedy sits
outside his dorm
room at Coronado
Hall Wednesday
afternoon.
Kennedy?s futon
and curtains were
burnt during an
eletrical fire caused
by a box fan
Tuesday night.
were not in the room when the fire started. The
age of the fan, which Leonard estimated was about
15 to 20 years old, may have been a contributing
factor. He said the fire damage was limited to
window curtains and a futon by the window, but
smoke and water damage reached the rest of the
room. The room has been sealed until it is
repaired.
Leonard said his department's investigation is
complete and that the room will be refurbished
during the next few days.
"There was significant smoke damage, but the
room can be easily put back in service in a few
days," Leonard said. "Risk management and
housing have contractors who will come in, clean it
and de-sanitize it."
Randy Boeglin,
UNM's dean of
students and director
of Residence Life, said
the rooms adjacent to
and below the fire
suffered some water
damage, but Albuqeruque fire fighters did a good
job cleaning up the damaged rooms after the fire
was extinguished. He commended the
Albuquerque Fire Department's quick response
and help from resident assistants and campus
safety members in getting students out of the
building. He said the situation could have been
worse if the fire occurred at night, possibly similar
to a fire Wednesday morning in a Seton Hall
University dormitory that killed three students.
"It was early, people were up and awake and it
went expediently," Boeglin said. "We had great
assistance from safety personnel and fire fighters
got the fire suppressed quickly. It was not the
perfect response, but I think last night was a good
one."
While Boeglin anticipated moving some residents
out of dorm rooms because of the smoky odor in
the northwest wing, he said only two students
asked to be relocated to other areas of the
dormitory.
"Surprisingly, after the majority of the damage was
cleaned up enough, most students elected to stay,"
Boeglin said. Posted: 1/20/0001:30 AM
At 09:58 PM 01/19/2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Does anyone have any information on a residence hall fire at the University
>of New Mexico Tuesday night? (1/18/00) It may not have been reported as
>widely as the Seton Hall fire.
Rob Farris
Team Leader
FWO-FIRE
665-0283
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