Damage from small kitchen fire being fixed over winter break
The results of flooding from fire sprinklers in Risley. • • • Photo by Christian McCuaig
A small fire occurred in the Risley Hall Residence on LeMarchant Street on Oct. 27 just before 4:30 p.m. The blaze was almost immediately identified and put out.
“Incidents like this have more damage from the flooding as a result of the sprinklers than from the fire,” said Mateo Yorke, the Risley Hall facilities manager.
The fire occurred in a kitchenette on the second floor of the building. The cause is thought to be from a microwave put atop an electric stove, which had an element turned on.
A student discovered the smoke and pulled the alarm, evacuating the building for the next four hours. Both Dalhousie security and the Halifax Fire Department responded quickly to the call.
The sprinklers went off for about 10 minutes, and only in the kitchenette where the incident occurred. With the sprinklers outputting 500 gallons a minute, water spread to the halls to the south of the residence floor, rising half an inch in places. It entered a few of the students’ rooms. Water also leaked through the floor to the first floor of the building, causing damage to the front and administrative desks. By 8:30 p.m., the building was determined safe to return to.
Subsequent work on the space has been largely preventative, removing drywall from the base two feet of the walls and running humidifiers to ensure no mold growth as a result of the flooding.
Six students were moved from their rooms into other residences, but have all returned by now.
The residence is planning to undergo more permanent repairs during winter break, when students are away. The choice to delay full repairs was made to allow students to study at the end of the semester undisturbed.
A fire also occurred last year in Risley Hall.
“Considering the fact that [the fire] took place in a full residence building during the mid-terms, it’s gone as well as it could be expected,” Yorke said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
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