Dorm Fire Reveals Glitch in Alarm System

The oven fire and evacuation of Barnard’s 600 W. 116th St. apartment complex on Friday raised concerns among students who questioned the efficiency of the building’s fire system.

The residents of the sixth floor suite where the fire originated said their apartment smoke detector did not sound, and that when a facilities employee pulled the building alarm in the hallway, it also failed to go off. The building alarm eventually went off several minutes later, and the facilities employee put out the fire with an extinguisher.

Barnard Residential Life and Housing officials said they are checking into the circumstances surrounding the slow reaction time.

The students in the suite said that Residential Life had been accommodating—they will be given a new oven sometime next week. Yet they were worried the alarms had reacted too slowly, and that some residents had not heard them.

“Whatever is taking place with the system is being checked out by public safety and facilities,” Director of Residential Life and Housing Ann Aversa said. She stressed that this was an anomaly in an otherwise functioning fire alarm system.

Aversa said that since Friday morning’s fire, three other suites experienced fire problems. The most common cause of suite fires, she said, was when students left food cooking in the oven while no one was home. Aversa emphasized the importance of remaining in the apartment while the oven is on.

Aviva Buechler, BC ’11, and resident of the 6F suite in 600 that was on fire, said she thought students could benefit from further fire safety instruction, especially those living in suites with kitchens.

But Alexandra Zelubowski, BC ’11, who lives on the third floor, said she didn’t have any problems hearing the fire alarms and exiting the building.

“They were pretty loud,” she said.

alix.pianin@columbiaspectator.com