Hanover Police evacuated sleeping students from Fayerweather residence hall early yesterday morning after a rag in the laundry room caught fire, sending fumes and smoke throughout the basement of the five-story dormitory.
The Fire Department arrived at the scene at 4:41 a.m. after College Safety and Security officers phoned in the fire alarm. The evacuated students, including eight who lived in the basement close to the fire, returned to their rooms after 20 minutes.
College and police officials are now investigating what ignited the rag, which was found badly charred and draped over a thick set of telephone wires, Hanover Police Captain Chris O'Conner said.
Police said they have ruled out the possibility that the phone lines, which carry a slight electrical current, caused the fire or that someone purposely ignited the rag .
"There appeared to be no damage to the structure," O'Conner said. "There were no signs of any accelerant or anything in the area that would lead us to believe" someone purposely set the rag on fire.
Safety and Security Sergeant Mark Lancaster said his department is asking students if they know how the fire started, but he said it is unlikely there were witnesses.
