Fire delays opening of new Dental dorm

A new Dental School dormitory located on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue will not be ready for its scheduled fall move-in after a fire broke out in the west wing of the building early Tuesday morning. The Dental House, a University-owned property set to become the nation's first dental school housing option designed to integrate teaching and learning, has been undergoing renovations to prepare for about 44 students scheduled to move in this August. The fire, discovered at about 3 a.m. by a resident of the street, was ruled accidental by the Philadelphia Fire Marshall, although the exact cause of the fire is not readily apparent. According to Lt. John Hartnett of the Philadelphia Fire Marshall's office, officials speculate that the blaze may have been caused by sparks from a welding torch or similar tool operated by one of the workers conducting renovations that went unnoticed and later developed into a full-blown fire. Hartnett said the fire originated on the second floor of the building's west wing, eventually spreading up the walls to the third and fourth floors and the roof area. While the fire did not leave the front part of the wing, Hartnett said that the areas the fire hit incurred "some structural damage," including damage to "the walls and ceilings and wood joists that supported the floors and the roof." "Some [joists] were badly damaged," Hartnett added. The Philadelphia Fire Department received the call at 2:58 a.m. and dispatched six fire engines to the scene. The blaze was placed under control by fire fighters by 3:47 a.m. According to Dental School spokesperson Lorraine Boehmcke, the property is slated to open this fall as a dormitory for up to 44 Dental School students of all years. The facility will also include academic space and will be headed by a residential faculty member who will create in-house programming for the residence's occupants. Boehmcke said the facility is "intended to be a lot more than a dorm," adding that "it was being designed to have dental labs for students to practice procedures on models." Thirty of the 44 spots in the residence have already been reserved, Boehmcke said, and those students will now be offered "comparable temporary housing in the vicinity of Dental House." While the extent of the damage has not yet been determined, Boehmcke said she could confirm that the facility will not "be ready for move-in in August as was originally scheduled." Boehmcke said that while the fire was an unfortunate setback for the project, Dental School officials are optimistic that the damage can be readily repaired and the facility open with as little delay as possible. "This is likely to discourage some students, but we know that this is going to be a valuable experience for them and we're hoping that temporary arrangements will be satisfactory," Boehmcke said. Osage Street resident David Vann, who discovered and reported the fire, said he was inside his home next to the property early Tuesday morning when he heard the sound of shattering glass coming from outside a second-floor window. Vann said he looked out the window and first saw sparks falling out of a garbage shoot protruding from one of the building's second-floor window. "I looked further up my window and saw flames," Vann said. Vann said that while he was only slightly concerned that the fire might spread to his neighboring home, he considered the fire rather severe. "I would say 12 to 15 foot flames were shooting out of the windows," Vann said. "It was a big fire in that room."

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