A fire broke out in a dumpster behind Harnwell College House this afternoon and was extinguished at approximately 1:40 p.m.
Jerome Seeney, an executive chef at 1920 Commons, said he was the first person to attempt to extinguish the fire. According to Seeney, a dresser in the dumpster was the first item to catch on fire, but the exact cause is unknown.
No casualties were reported at the scene. Penn Police, Philadelphia Fire Department, and the Penn Division of Public Safety Department of Fire & Emergency Services reported to Harnwell to extinguish the rest of the fire.
Seeney said that he initially thought the fire was inside Commons when a fellow employee told him about the incident.
"They just said it was downstairs," Seeney said. "Then, as I was coming downstairs, they said it was on the loading docks.”
He said the loading dock is the garage area between Commons and Harnwell.
Seeney said when he ran outside, he saw the fire behind Harnwell and used a fire extinguisher to partially put it out until law enforcement arrived.
The fire was extinguished at approximately 1:40 p.m.
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