Fire in Dormitory Building C3 Was Put Out at Late Night

Rising concerns of students regarding safety in dormitory

Cub-reporter Choi Ha-eun

haeun.choi.2002@gmail.com

On June 13, there was a fire in the dormitory at around 11 p.m. The fire occurred on the third floor of building C3, the male dormitory. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system in 23 minutes and all 917 students were safely evacuated. There were no reported fatalities or injuries. However, because of the fire, the ceiling on the lower ground floor and the elevators in the male dormitory were damaged. The elevators were fixed on July 6, with male students in the dormitory having to walk up the stairs until then. As a form of compensation, the dormitory provided free vouchers for the library coffee shop to students of building C3 for not being able to use the elevators.

The cause of the fire was suspected as arson based on the discovery of burned notebooks and items in the room where the fire started. Many of the students were shocked and it turned out that the student involved was the same person who had been issued with warnings for abnormal behavior such as turning air conditioning units on in empty lecture rooms and turning on every faucet in the restrooms. The police arrested the student and the student was expelled from the dormitory.

Though no one was injured by the fire, there have since been many complaints made by the students about the evacuation procedures. The dormitory has an official evacuation drill and the administration office said that the evacuation was carried out according to the manual they have. However, many students claimed that they did not hear the fire alarm. Some students stated that they did not hear the alarm and if their friends had not let them know, they would have just stayed in their rooms. One student in the male dormitory went around all the rooms to knock on the doors and let them know about the fire. In addition, some students pointed out on the student community board that they had to use their cards to get out since the doors were not opened during the evacuation. Furthermore, the announcement to evacuate was made only in Korean which caused confusion for many foreign students. As a result, many students revealed their concerns and worries that if the fire had not been put out early, it could have been a lot worse.