An early morning fire forced the evacuation of Grafton Residence Hall on Tues., Nov. 18.
The fire occurred shortly before 3 a.m. The blaze was believed to have been started in a trashcan in the girl’s bathroom on the third floor. As of now, it is unclear which wing the fire occurred in.
“The alarm came in at 2:57 a.m.,” Colonel Creig Doyle of the University Police Department said.
This is the second reported fire in Grafton this year. In early Oct. the building was evacuated due to a bulletin board that was set on fire on the second floor.
Students were evacuated from the building and relocated to the Smith Lobby, “We were sent to Smith hall lobby [during the evacuation],” Hallie Marden said. The evacuation took place on Marden’s first night after moving into Grafton.
The investigation is still in preliminary stages, “As of now, it is not being categorized as either accidental or intentional,” Doyle said.
Right now, the Plymouth Fire and Police Departments are looking into the possibility that the trashcan was ignited by an overheated container of microwavable soup.
A melted container of “Healthy Choice” soup is being investigated as a possible cause.
Fire personnel discovered the charred remains of a plastic soup container. Half of the container was melted, while the remains of the soup were found in the sink. The state Fire Marshal will conduct further tests as to whether or not it could be possible for the product to ignite material in a trashcan.
The trashcan, being located in a bathroom was filled with mostly combustible paper products.
As is protocol, fire personnel walked through the building and knocked on doors to make sure students had left. When they did this, they found that nineteen students did not leave, “19 residents did not evacuate while the alarm was sounding,” Doyle said.
These nineteen students were identified and will have to discuss their actions with the Department of Residential Life. According to the PSU student handbook, students who disregard a fire evacuation notice may be forced to take part in five hours of community restitution.
The fire department is looking into ways to increase the number of evacuating students. There will be more information available next week after Plymouth Fire Chief Casino Clogston, The N.H. State Fire Marshall and Doyle meet.
All parties will also look into the possible causes of the fire later this week, “The fire is still under investigation. [I will] meet with the Fire Marshal tomorrow,” Clogston said.
While the department has possible theories as to what caused the fire, more investigation need to be done, “We have to rule out potential causes,” Clogston said.
While the building was being emptied, at least one reported theft took place, “Someone broke into a small safe on the third floor,” Doyle said. An unreported amount of money was taken from the empty room.
Grafton was reopened for students at 4:15 a.m.