UNK-A small fire was contained to one room in the Centennial Towers West residence hall at the University of Nebraska at Kearney early Friday morning.
A power outage occurred at the residence hall due to last night’s storm. A resident of CTW lit a candle and later fell asleep. The flame blew over into a container holding paper and plastic and ignited those materials. At approximately 3:45 a.m., the resident woke up, doused the fire, pulled the fire alarm and went to get help. When the resident returned with help the fire had restarted and had to be doused again.
When the alarm triggered the student evacuation procedure went into effect, including a room-to-room alert.
“The fire was contained before the fire department arrived,” said Anita Kucera, assistant director of the office of residential and Greek life. “The response of the residence hall staff and the Kearney Fire Department was excellent.”
The fire and smoke damage was limited to one room, Kucera said.
All fire procedures were followed when the alarm sounded. The residents of CTW were evacuated for approximately one hour while the residence hall was inspected to ensure safety of the residents.
The UNK Student Handbook strictly forbids open flames.
According to the UNK Student Handbook, if a fire alarm sounds, students should take the following actions:
1. Leave lights on.
2. Wear a coat or blanket and hard-soled shoes.
3. Leave room, close and lock door.
4. Go, without talking, to the exit in single file, staying to the right. Walk swiftly and do not run or push.
5. Assemble outside the hall at a safe distance from the building.
6. Do not return to the hall until a university official has given an all-clear signal.
