The Hanover Fire Department and Safety and Security responded to a fire in the Bissell residence hall at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the officials involved. The fire, localized to one room, originated from a baseboard radiator, Hanover fire captain Mike Clark said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which marks the second recent fire in the building following a trashcan blaze on Sept. 25.
"I was sitting at my desk on [BlitzMail] and I saw smoke in the light from my lamp," said the resident of the room, who wished to be unnamed to respect the privacy of her roommate, who was not present at the time. "I noticed smoke coming out of my radiator and went to get my [undergraduate advisor], but by the time I got back there was smoke in the hallway and the fire alarm went off."
While officials from the fire department and the College do not know the exact cause of the fire, they explained that it originated from a piece of wood built into the dormitory's wall below the baseboard heater. No electrical wiring was present in the immediate area, they said.
"There is some speculation, but we couldn't see a specific cause," Clark said. "This fire was pretty unusual."
The wood that caught fire is part of the wall construction, according to Woody Eckels, director of residential operations.
"I'm not really worried about that," Heewon Kim '10, a Bissell resident, said. "I don't think this happens a lot."
In responding to the fire, firefighters had to remove the radiator and the wood and insulation around it. This, along with smoke, represents the only damage to the room. The room's residents, however, will be relocated for the time being.
"It is going to take several days to complete all of the work," Eckels said. "We hope to get the residents back in the room within a day or two, though."
A coterie of high-level College officials responded to the fire, including Dean of Residential Life Marty Redman and College President James Wright.
"I just wanted to walk over and make sure everything's fine," Wright said.
Bissell residents, excluding those who lived in the room in question, were able to reenter the dormitory by 9:45 p.m.
According to the Office of Residential Life's website, Bissell underwent an renovation that cost over $2 million and was completed in 2006.
The renovation, as one of ORL's "capital projects," the website said, "resulted in improvements to the residential facilities, and included upgrading existing systems (electrical, mechanical, windows, roofing), painting and refinishing spaces, replacing furniture, carpeting and appliances, improving egress and other life safety issues, and addressing other ongoing maintenance needs," including a fire sprinkler system, the website said.
