An unattended burning candle placed on a television caused a fire in University of Wisconsin’s Witte Hall late Thursday evening.
Freshman Patrick Emanuel, resident of 1036A, said he was studying in the library during the fire.
“It was a little after 11 when I got a call on my cell phone. My friend said my room was on fire,” Emanuel said. “I expected to return to a flaming building. I do not even remember lighting the candle.”
Instead of going back to a burning dorm, Emanuel said he was lucky to return to a room with little damage.
Upon hearing the fire alarm, many tenth floor residents believed the alarm was false.
Freshman Marc Bourgeois was studying in his room during the incident.
“We ignored the alarm for about five minutes, but eventually the housefellow told us to evacuate. Inside my room everything seemed normal, but in the hall, I could see a bright orange glow from down the hall,” Bourgeois said.
The entire Witte-A building was evacuated for over half an hour, causing a disturbance for many sleeping students.
“Because of the big fuss over the fire, I could not get to sleep until after two” Bourgeois said.
The recent Witte candle fire has drawn attention to the larger issue of dorm safety.
The Witte fire was caused by a candle, which, along with incense and tobacco products, is not permitted in University Housing.
Even though smoke detectors and sprinkler systems are located throughout UW residence halls, residents say both systems failed to work during Thursday’s fire.
Witte resident Tyler Gerczak questioned dorm safety.
“It smelt like smoke,” Gerczak said. “I am surprised the sprinklers did not go off.”
According to UW Campus Police officer Lt. Bill Larson, the candle incident caused an estimated $2500 in property, smoke and carpet cleanup damage.
“The cost of damage is just a rough estimate and could change,” Larson said. “At the time of incident, however, UW Police came up with that number.”
Despite the $2500 damage estimate and rumors about a huge blaze, room 1036A resident Emanuel said the fire caused little damage.
“The VCR melted and some of my clothing turned yellow from the fire extinguishers” he said.
