Several University of Wisconsin students celebrating the warm weather went too far this weekend, as a fun, inebriated afternoon turned into a potentially deadly fire hazard.
Spokesperson for the Madison Fire Department Lori Wirth said three students were holding a cigarette lighter to the stuffing of a sofa outside their house on Randall Court on Saturday when, to their surprise, the fire spread and the sofa began to burn.
Wirth said the students managed to extinguish the flames before the fire department arrived at 3:11 p.m., but one had obtained some second-degree burns in the process. She said while the student initially refused to call an ambulance, despite the fire department’s insistence, the officers at the scene were able to convince the student to go to the hospital.
She added the three students were cited for underage drinking.
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, the alder for the area in which the fire took place, said he thought it was a one-of-a-kind event.
“I think it’s an isolated incident that was obviously foolish and frankly stupid,” Eagon said.
He said it is up to students to know their limitations and boundaries when drinking so they do not take any actions they would later regret.
Eagon added he is happy no one was seriously injured, and is hopeful people in his district would be able to keep their intoxicated behavior under control in the future.
“It’s obviously possible to have fun (and be safe) even with alcohol,” Eagon said.
Wirth said another UW fire-related incident Saturday involved a malfunctioning fire alarm in Gordon Commons. She said while there was no actual fire, students were excellent in complying with the evacuation of the building.
She said occasionally people will ignore the alarm and wait for people to tell them to leave, when in actuality, the alarm is what people should be paying attention to.
“We’re always happy when people voluntarily evacuate,” Wirth said.
She added UW maintenance was on site to fix the malfunction, and UW has a great track record in fixing these kinds of problems.
