A small fire caused sprinklers to go off and the building to be evacuated in Rodin College House on Wednesday night.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said the fire started when a blender, set on top of a stove, began to melt and smoke. The students living in the apartment were not in the room, but “somehow the stove was turned on,” Rush said, adding that she was unsure of how.
While no injuries were reported and the fire caused no damage, there was minor water damage to the areas where sprinklers turned on. Facilities and Real Estate Services is working on cleaning up the water damage, but did not have an estimate on how long it would take until residents could access the affected areas.
“People were displaced for a few hours and then let back into their rooms,” Rush added. “[We’re] very fortunate to have fire sprinkler systems in all of the College Houses — they did their job.”
This was the second fire on campus on Wednesday. The first, caused by a pizza oven at the Cosi on 36th Street, required the Philadelphia Fire Department to control it.
Check back for updates.
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