Deadly fires involving college students

	Aug. 29, 1976: A fire believed to have been caused by careless smoking kills five Kappa Sigma fraternity members at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS.
	Dec. 13, 1977: Ten students are killed in a fire at Providence College in RI.
	Sept. 8, 1990: Three University of California, Berkeley students die and two are injured at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. A visitor admits starting the fire while playing with a lighter.
	Oct. 12, 1994: Five students at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania die after a sofa catches fire at Beta Sigma Delta fraternity house.
	May 12, 1996: Five students die and three are injured at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill at Phi Gamma Delta fraternity the day before graduation. Investigators blame a cigarette tossed into a trash can.
	Jan. 19, 2000: Three students die and 62 are injured in the freshman dormitory at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.
	March 19, 2000: Three students from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania are killed in the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house.
	April 13, 2003: Five students from Ohio State University and Ohio University are killed in an off-campus apartment building in Columbus. The fire broke out after a birthday party for one of the victims.
	Aug. 27, 2004: A fire that started in a basement bedroom of the Alpha Tau Omega house at the University of Mississippi kills three students.
	Oct. 28, 2007: Six students from the University of South Carolina and one from Clemson University are killed in a fire at a house in Ocean Isle Beach, NC, where they had been spending the weekend. Six students in the house survived.

Source: Campus Firewatch

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Campus and dorm fires

NFPA Safety Tips

	Look for fully sprinklered housing when choosing a dorm or off-campus housing.
	Make sure your dormitory or apartment has smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside every sleeping area and on each level. For the best protection, all smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds they all sound.
	Test all smoke alarms at least monthly.
	See all safety tips

AUDIO
Judy Comoletti, NFPA Division Manager of Public Education, talks about fire safety on college campuses:

	Safety considerations for parents
	Safety tips for students
	Prevent a fire from starting

The number of reported fires in the dormitory occupancy group increased 34% from 3,200 in 1980 to 4,290 in 2006. In comparison, structure fires of all types declined 51% from 1980 to 2006.

Facts & figures

In 2003-2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 3,570 structure fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and barracks. These fires caused an annual average of 7 civilian deaths, 54 civilian fire injuries, and $29.4 million in direct property damage. Note: Dormitories include school, college and university dormitories; fraternity and sorority houses; monasteries; bunk houses; barracks; and nurses’ quarters.
Between 2003-2006, cooking equipment was involved in 75% of the reported dormitory fires; this includes confined or contained fires.
Structure fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and barracks are more common during the evening hours between 5-11 p.m., as well as on weekends.
Only 5% of fires in these properties began in the bedroom, but these fires accounted for 62% of the civilian deaths and one-quarter (26%) of the civilian injuries.

Source: NFPA's "Structure Fires in Dormitories, Fraternities, Sororities and Barracks," by Jennifer D. Flynn, August 2009

Also see: Fact sheet on dormitories, fraternities, sororities and barracks. (PDF, 39 KB)

Related articles from NFPA Journal®

The University of Utah, like many other campuses, has a fire prevention program that consists of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. By Mike Halligan. Jan/Feb 2005
Pennsylvania's first fire safety audits of universities and other state facilities look to NFPA codes and standards. By Stephen Barlas. Nov/Dec 2004
Strong prospects for Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act. By Stephen Barlas. Nov/Dec 2003
Recent tragic fires at colleges and universities have led to a small rise in fire sprinkler systems for dormitories. By Shelly Reese. Nov/Dec 2003
The fire problem in educational occupancies. By Chip Carson, P.E. Sep/Oct 2003
A new program helps drive campus fire-safety growth at our nation's colleges and universities (PDF, 792 KB). By Ed Comeau. Nov/Dec 2002.
Dormitory fire safety is a priority for parents, and NFPA is there to help. By Meri-K Appy. Jan/Feb 2002.

Other resources

Campus Firewatch is an electronic newsletter focusing exclusively on campus fire safety.
The Center for Campus Fire Safety provides a place for those interested in campus fire safety to share ideas and learn from their peers.
When selecting a school, ask these questions when you are visiting campuses (courtesy of The Center for Campus Fire Safety).
USFA campus and student fire safety information

Updated: 8/09

In this Section:

			Campus and dorm fire safety tips What you need to know about campus and dorm fire safety.					Reports and statistics NFPA reports and other research on campus and dorm fires.