RIT has been on fire recently, and not in a good way. To answer students’ burning curiosity, three different fires occurred during the first week of February — two on the 3rd and one on the 5th.
The first fire occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. in the tunnels beneath James E. Gleason Hall. Fire alarms sounded, and students evacuated both Gleason Hall and Thomas Gosnell Hall, as the buildings’ basements are connected by the tunnels. No one was hurt, but five fire trucks and an ambulance were brought into the area. The cause of the fire has since been determined to be a large lithium-ion battery that combusted.
The buildings remained closed off until approximately 5 p.m. that evening. Large generator fans were set near the incident area to clear the noxious fumes.
The next fire started at Frederick Douglass Sprague Perry Hall (DSP) that night at around 11 p.m., purportedly from a lithium-ion battery in an electronic waste bin. The dorm was evacuated, and the fire department arrived and extinguished the flames. No one was hurt, though the timing was likely unfortunate for many resting students.
Tuesday went without incident, but Wednesday, Feb. 5 at approximately 4:19 p.m., fire alarms went off once again – this time in the SHED. Something had caught fire in the second-floor 3D printing lab, filling the room with pungent grey smoke.
Students gathered curiously to watch as the fire department arrived on campus to investigate – a sight becoming far too common. Many appeared incredulous, voicing their surprise over the occurrence of a third fire within the week.
Once the fire department and public safety had determined the flames were extinguished and the area was safe, students were allowed back into the building.
No more incidents have been reported since, though RIT sent out a message listing various safety guidelines to follow when handling lithium-ion batteries. Hopefully, the only thing sparked at RIT in the future will be creativity.
