No injuries were reported
after a small electrical fire in an exhaust fan caused minor damage to the
attic of West College
residence hall on Monday afternoon.
Campus safety officers and Schenectady
firefighters were called to the dorm by an alarm at 1:40 p.m.
About 65 students were evacuated. Most
were athletes on campus for pre-season training; others were residence
advisors.
The move-in of other students, to begin
Sept. 4, will not be affected. The building's dining hall was expected to
continue normal operation.
The smoldering fire triggered a
smoke detector on a fire system that was installed in the building three years
ago, according to Michael Hilton, campus fire prevention specialist.
The exhaust fan that apparently
malfunctioned was used to ventilate the cooking area of the building's first-floor
dining hall.
Fire officials said damage was
confined to a 10- by 10-foot section of framing and insulation. A concrete
floor contained the fire and kept smoke and water from entering the floors
below, officials said.
West
College, which parallels Seward
Place along the western edge of campus, houses 168
students. At the time of the alarm,
residence advisors were undergoing fire training in the Nott Memorial.