Quad fire sends student to hospital

A first-floor fire in Riepe College House forced one resident to jump from a first-floor window and sent him and a Penn Police officer to the hospital for the night. Officials do not yet know the source of the fire, but said that heat coming from 107 McIlhenny resident Vivek Patel's mattress activated the sprinkler in his room. Penn Director of Fire and Emergency Services Ted Bateman said Patel was asleep until the sprinklers activated. He jumped out of his window to escape the smoke, although the door was not blocked. The resident and the Penn Police officer who broke into the room were taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for smoke inhalation and held overnight for observation. Neither was seriously injured. Smoke damage was limited to the room and immediate hallway, but there was water damage to the music rooms in the McIlhenny basement.