The Hanover Fire Department has not determined a cause for the fire that occurred in Bissell Hall around 8 p.m. Wednesday, except that the fire originated from a wooden part located inside the radiator, according to Director of Facilities, Operations and Management Woody Eckels.
"There is nothing electrical anywhere near the radiator, and the floor under the radiator is concrete," he said.
The College renovated Brown and Little Halls during the summer of 2004, followed by Bissell and Cohen during the summer of 2005. The renovations included improving paths of egress and the fire sprinkler systems. The wooden parts in the radiators, such as the one involved in the fire, however, originate from the original 1958 construction of the Choates Cluster.
Eckels explained that FO&M intends to look further into the cause of the fire later this week.
"If this were determined to be a risk, we would work to reduce that risk or to eliminate it," he said. "This is a very tough call, since it is unlikely that we will ever know with a certainty what caused this fire."
Bissell residents have expressed discomfort with the ambiguous source of the fire.
"I'm a little rattled by the fire, mainly because it didn't seem as if a specific cause was pinpointed," Bissell resident Cat Emil '10 said. "I don't feel as if any specific information was given to us about how to avoid having a fire in our own room, which would have made me a lot less anxious about the possibility of another fire."
The delay in the sounding of the smoke alarm also concerned certain residents.
"The fire alarm didn't go off until the whole hallway was filled with smoke," Hannah Raila '10 said.
Eckels said that the four Choates buildings have complete fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems.
"The fire alarm system worked as intended," he said.
He explained that the fire did not set off sprinklers because the temperature in Bissell was not high enough to provoke them.
Destruction to the residence hall was minimal and Eckels said that FO&M replaced the damaged insulation behind the radiator and reinstalled the radiator cover. FO&M plans to replace a damaged curtain rod in a room on the first floor below the scene of the fire.
The primary complaint of Bissell residents was the overwhelming smell of smoke throughout the hallway.
"The Hanover Fire Department did an excellent job assessing the problem and extinguishing the fire with a minimum of damage," Eckels said.
Other members of the Dartmouth community, Eckels said, were also instrumental to the operation's success.
"Safety and Security and the College troubleshooters were on hand to assist and were very helpful," Eckels said. "Community Director Kristin Deal was on the scene for the entire episode and was able to find a place for the occupants to sleep for the night."
Julie Wadland '10 and her roommate Kelsey Byrne '10 were displaced because of the fire but were back in their room the following night.
Eckels urged students to leave their rooms quickly and to take appropriate precautions if a similar fire occurs again.
"While many students feel that the spring-loaded hinges [on doors] make fostering community a bit tough, they are there for a reason," he said. "When I was on [the] hall Wednesday night, five out of about six doors were propped open during this episode. Had this been a more significant event, damage to personal possessions could have easily extended to all rooms with open doors, while those with closed doors would have been protected."
