A fire in the trash chute of Riepe College House last night forced hundreds of students to evacuate sections of the lower Quadrangle.
Ted Bateman, Penn's director of Fire and Emergency Services, said that the fire has been ruled accidental.
There were no injuries or property damage from the incident.
He added that the fire may have been caused by coals dropped into the chute following a Riepe barbecue.
Riepe College House Dean Marilynne Diggs-Thompson, however, said that coals from the barbecue had been extinguished in ice water for over an hour before they were put into the trash container.
The house held its annual year-end barbecue picnic in the Quad yesterday at about 5 p.m.
The fire started at about 8:30 p.m. in the container located near the lower Quad entrance, but a sprinkler in the Riepe basement immediately extinguished any flames, Bateman said.
The Philadelphia Fire Department responded from its location at 43rd and Market streets within minutes, he said.
Students in Riepe were evacuated as a precautionary measure after the alarm system sounded, and fire officials worked to clear smoke out of the surrounding hallways by opening windows and using fans, Bateman said.
All students were allowed back into the building by about 10 p.m.
Bateman said that the long period of evacuation was necessary to ensure that the building was safe to re-enter.
"You make sure that the smoke is cleared, the sprinkler system is functional and there is no residual danger in any shape and form," he said.
College freshman Gabriel Galson said he thought the evacuation was necessary considering the amount of smoke caused by the incident.
"When you live in a dorm with over 1,200 students, chances are it's going to happen," he said. "They were professional, and I'm satisfied with the way that it was handled."
Bateman said that as with any campus fire, the Division of Public Safety will talk to students about fire-safety tips to try to prevent a similar incident.
This fire was the second in Riepe this school year.
