Dorm fires spark security concern, investigation

Juliana Kiyan Senior Editor

Following the discoveries of burned materials in Noyes and Strong Houses this semester, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police and Arlington County Fire Department are conducting an investigation of both incidents. Buildings and Grounds and Security are also taking measures to educate students about fire safety and awareness.

On Feb. 27 at 9:31 p.m., Noyes and Cushing House Advisor Scott Radimer pulled a fire alarm in Noyes upon smelling smoke in the stairwell. A burning sock was soon discovered in the basement laundry room that had fallen from a table to the floor. A burning pile of clothing sitting on the pool table and some burned papers were also discovered.

Fire Safety Officer Bob Hanaburgh arrived on the scene to photograph the evidence, and the photos were then reviewed by the Arlington County Fire Department.

Noyes House President Adam Jost ’08 remarked that the smoke from the fires traveled rapidly through the dorm. “Students on the fourth floor could easily smell it because the fire doors were propped open,” said Jost.

On April 6 at 3:47 a.m., a Security Officer patrolling Strong House reported finding several burned papers in the parlor. Similar to the incident at Noyes, Hanaburgh arrived and took photographs of the scene, which were then shown to the fire department.

A lieutenant from the Arlington County Fire Department and a detective from the Poughkeepsie Police Department are investigating both incidents as possible arson, as the College currently has “no information to suggest it was an accident,” said Director of Environmental Health and Safety James Kelly in an e-mailed statement. Director of Security Don Marsala said, “We’re trying to get closure on what happened.”

In the case of the incident in Strong House, one piece of evidence found at the scene was determined to be a partially burned homework assignment from the Mathematics 222 course, Multivariable Calculus. No name was on the paper, prompting Marsala to notify all students from both sections of the class about the evidence.

In an e-mail to the students, Marsala wrote that Security was “attempting to identify the owner in order to assist in the investigation.” He asked if students would not mind talking to investigators on Tuesday, April 24 to “help us shed some light on what happened that night.”

Janet Soltau ’10, a student in Mathematics 222, opted to meet with the detective about the burned papers. “[The investigator] asked questions about the homework assignment, and he asked if we recognized it,” said Soltau. “I was able to tell what section it was from and when it was due, but nothing else.”

Marsala said, “We don’t believe at this point that it was arson, but we want to be sure, so we’re touching our bases.” He said that either incident could have easily been an accident, in which case there would be no repercussions for the students involved.

While the investigation into the incidents is ongoing, students residing in Noyes and Strong attended mandatory meetings to discuss fire and residential life safety during the week of April 16.

Dean of the College Judy Jackson, representatives from the Office of Residential Life, Marsala and Kim Squillace of Security, Kelly, Hanaburgh, and Noyes and Strong House officers met with students and conducted a multimedia fire safety presentation.

In an e-mailed statement, Kelly said, “Our goal is simple: share with the entire community the hazards associated with fire and to develop life safety skills to quickly and calmly evacuate and get them to safety. We all have a shared responsibility to protect each other and we all need each other help to stay safe.”

Jost said, “The meeting and the event make me realize that a fire can occur in a dorm, and that the best way to protect myself and my fellow residents is to practice fire safety. As a [house] president, it is my job to get this message to the dorm and to make sure they understand how important [following] these regulations is.”

Kelly said the College will expand its program of fire education and training and encourage students to participate in activities during Orientation and Campus Fire Safety Month in September.

Marsala said they will do fire safety talks in all of the dorms throughout the year. He said, “We’re determining if someone was lighting a cigarette by mistake or maybe if it caught fire on a light bulb…If it was just a mistake, then we’ll just do fire safety training, but if it was an [incident of] arson, then it’s much more serious.”

—Additional reporting by Ilyse Kramer, Katie Paul, Sam Rosen-Amy, and Amanda Melillo