Sulz. Fire Requires Evacuation of Quad

A trash can fire on the ninth floor of Sulzberger Hall led to the hospitalization of five security guards and the evacuation of nearly 1,000 students from the Barnard Quad early Sunday morning.

Brooks, Reid, Hewitt, and Sulzberger were evacuated at approximately 3:20 a.m.

Students remained in Barnard Hall until they were allowed to return to their rooms at approximately 4:40 a.m.

“I was woken up by the fire alarm, and my suitemate screaming,” said Kathy Dubowski, BC ’08 and a Sulzberger 9 resident. “A security guard was there already, trying to contain it.... Flames were shooting out of it [the trash can], so it looked like it was pretty big.”

Five members of Barnard security were taken to St. Luke’s and treated for smoke inhalation in what college spokeswoman Joanne Kwong described as a “precautionary measure.” They were released from the hospital the same day.

For unknown reasons, the alarms in Brooks, Reid, and Hewitt Halls continued to sound until about 6 a.m., roughly an hour and a half after students re-entered the Quad.

Barnard security readmitted the students to pick up essentials for the night, then instructed them to find other places to sleep. Some dozed in lounges on other floors, while those who live nearby went home. They were allowed to return mid-afternoon Sunday.

“The air was really bad,” said Ariana Gumbs, BC ’08 and a Sulzberger 9 resident. “I was just up here for a few minutes, and I couldn’t stop coughing, it was so bad.”

“They had opened all the windows, but the floor was covered in soot and white powder, which I guess was from the fire extinguishers,” Dubowski said. “My room is covered in a layer of white, which is really gross.”

She added that, aside from the soot and the fire extinguisher residue, no one on the floor found any damage to furniture or other possessions. “It [the fire] was pretty well contained to the elevator bank,” Dubowski said.