Dryer Starts Fire at Landings

Nine apartment residents have been displaced after a fire occurred in the Landings late Monday night. The fire occurred in apartment 407 in the northeast building (building 3) of the Landings, and started at 11:38 p.m. on Monday night in the apartment's dryer. No one was injured. Apartments 407, 307, 207 and the Barnes & Noble Bookstore suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.

Senior Tara Westfall, who lives in apartment 403, explained that everyone got out of the buildings and the Resident Assistant (RA) called a roster of all northeast residents. Senior Jenny Downs, who also lives in apartment 403, said she heard screams and girls shouting to call the police.

Junior Hunter Ellis, resident of apartment 410, heard about the fire and smelled smoke. Ellis said he turned off the breaker switch to the dryer. "We heard girls yelling and went to see what was going on," said Ellis, who used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire as best as he could.

"We just want to make sure that everyone is safe. Safety and security is our job. We are going to take care of everyone," said Longwood University President Patricia Cormier upon arrival at the scene. Associate Director of Off Campus Living Angela Jackson announced around midnight that there was no estimated time when the residents would be allowed back into the building. She encouraged the residents to go into the lounge in the southeast building (building 4).

At approximately 12:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, Cormier explained the goal was to get the water off of the floor and reactivate the system before letting anyone back into the building.

"There was water that did get on the floor. It seemed to be maybe an inch and a half or two inches of water on the floor," said Director of Housing Larry Robertson. Shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning officials confirmed that the building was secure and students could return to their rooms.

The damages at the apartment complex were minimal. Executive Director of the Real Estate Foundation Kenneth Copeland said he estimated the damages would not amount to more than $2,500 or $3,000. "In the grand scheme of things it could have been much worse. We are very pleased," said Copeland. The Real Estate Foundation will cover all of the damages. The residents will not have to pay for any of it.

The washer/dryer unit will have to be replaced, and walls will need to be repainted. Also, a professional smoke and water damage cleaning company will be brought in to clean up the damage. "The fire never got out of the washer/dryer unit," said Robertson.

The displaced residents spent Monday night at the Hampton Inn. They were expected to return to their apartments on Tuesday, but ended up spending a second night in the hotel. Robertson explained that de-humidifiers were placed in the apartment to help suck up the water, which would make the apartment too uncomfortable to reside in for the time being.

According to an email from Resident Education Coordinator (REC) for the Landings and the Colonnades Jennifer Cox, the Environmental Health and Safety Office, in cooperation with the Longwood University Police Department (LUPD) and Real Estate Foundation, has completed an investigation of the Monday night incident and determined the cause of the fire.

"We have completed the investigation with the assistance of the Foundation and LUPD and found the cause of this fire was a pair of eye tweezers falling down behind the electrical control panel on the dryer, shorting out the wires catching them on fire," said Director of Environmental, Occupational Health, Safety and Emergency Management.

Copeland was pleased to see that the fire alarms and alert system worked exactly as they were supposed to. "We can have some comfort knowing that the system in the building worked as it should have," said Copeland.

"Hats off to the Residential and Commuter Life and Real Estate Foundation staff for getting the situation under control and making sure that the displaced students had temporary housing accommodations." said Student Government Association (SGA) President Cameron Patterson.

"We were extremely fortunate. The students living in the apartments where very fast with their reactions," said Robertson. "The RAs and the RECs reacted exactly the way they were supposed to. They all acted very professionally, very responsibly and very quickly," he added.

"At the end of the day we are so grateful that the damage was not more severe and it makes it that more important for students to be more careful when it comes to washer/dryers. Do the simple things such as checking the filters, checking pockets before placing clothes in the dryer, and don't leave your laundry unattended," said Patterson.