A small electrical fire in the basement of the Faculty Associates' Residence on 13 East Wheelock St. Wednesday afternoon left one building temporarily uninhabitable but caused no further damage.
The structure includes two separate buildings split among three residences. The fire affected only one building -- the smaller townhouse -- and the other two residences, within the main house, are fully habitable, Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman said.
No injuries related to the fire were reported, according to Hanover Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Clark. The fire did not affect any students, Redman said.
The majority of the damage occurred "in the form of smoke and soot which will take some time to clean up," Redman said. One of the townhouse's residents will need to relocate temporarily while the area is repaired, Redman said. Safety and Security would not release the name of the tenant. Director of Safety and Security Harry Kinne estimated that the residence would be uninhabitable for two weeks.
Redman noted that the fire was fully contained within the basement and that damage is not very extensive, despite the time it will take to repair.
"It was totally under control...there was just some smoke," philosophy professor Susan Brison, the East Wheelock Cluster Associate who lives in the main house, said.
An electrical problem with the townhouse's dehumidifier sparked the fire, Kinne said, although Redman said the cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.
About 15 firefighters responded to the call, traveling with three engines, a rescue truck and a supplemental vehicle to deal with any aftereffects of the fire, Clark said.
A portable fire extinguisher alone was able to thwart the blaze, although firefighters laid a water hose line as a precautionary measure.
In addition to the Hanover Fire Department, Safety and Security and the Hanover Police Department were on the scene when Redman arrived, he said. No one called in the fire -- the building's fire alarm sent the call directly to the Hanover Fire Department, as all campus fire alarms do, Redman said.
Response time was very quick, and the Fire Department extinguished the fire quickly, according to Redman.
"Hanover Fire Department is great at responding and very effective at its job," Redman added.
