A chemical-based fire extinguisher discharged in a Quadrangle stairwell early yesterday morning, flooding the surrounding area with toxic smoke and powder and forcing more than 50 students to relocate to other parts of the dormitory for several hours. Residential advisors in the Quad's Community House said they are currently searching for the individual who discharged the extinguisher in the stairwell of the Thomas Penn section of the building at approximately 3:45 a.m. yesterday. An unidentified person also activated a fire alarm, causing the evacuation of approximately 200 students for about 20 minutes while the Philadelphia Fire Department investigated the area. Interim Community House Assistant Dean in Residence and Wharton senior Jon Brightbill explained that "about 50 to 60" students in Thomas Penn and the adjoining Cleeman section had to spend the rest of the night sleeping in friends' rooms or the Quad's Ashhurst lounge. He added that this type of incident has not been uncommon in the Quad in recent years. "We get a couple of these a year," said Brightbill, an RA on McIlhenny's second floor. "And they are messy." Firefighters did not discover any evidence of fire or smoke at the scene, according to Fire Department spokesperson Pat Smith and University Police Capt. John Richardson. Several RAs said they had heard that a smoke bomb had detonated in the dormitory around the same time that the fire extinguisher was discharged, but stressed that this has not been confirmed. University Police were unavailable last night for comment about the possibility of a smoke bomb. The RAs explained that the chemical substances inside the fire extinguisher accumulated at the bottom of the stairwell after the extinguisher tumbled down from the third floor. Brightbill said the residue was approximately 1/8 inch thick on the floor. Physical Plant employees "did a good job" of cleaning residue from the stairwell and adjacent hallways, he added. But College senior Jon Daves, an RA on the first floor of Thomas Penn, said some chemical residue remains on railings, floors and stairs, posing a health hazard to anyone who touches them. "If [students] put their hands in their mouth [after touching a railing], they will have problems," Daves said. College freshman and Thomas Penn resident Abby Kahn, who accidentally left her door open amid the confusion yesterday, said she "was shocked" when she returned to her room and discovered "a layer of this white stuff over everything." "It was really smelly and gross," she said, noting that the residue did not permanently damage any of her belongings. "Whoever did it is a real idiot." According to Brightbill, who is a former Penn Watch president, University Police Sgt. Laurence Salotti said the Community House incident was one of five false fire alarms on campus late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, including several in Superblock.
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