Faulty outlet sparks small flame, raises safety ?concerns among workers
By Caitlin Moran Editor in Chief
A small electric fire broke out Tuesday in the Moreau Center in St. Mary's Student Center at around 4:15 p.m. The building was evacuated for about one hour, said Harold Burke-Sivers, director of Public Safety. No one was injured.
The fire began when an outlet connected to a portable air conditioner malfunctioned, producing smoke, sparks and a flame that was 18 inches high and four inches wide. Two Moreau Center staff members used fire extinguishers, but were unable to put out the flame.
Public Safety arrived a few minutes later, extinguished the flame, and evacuated the building.
"By the time we got here, the room was filled with smoke," Burke-Sivers said. Portland Fire & Rescue also responded to the scene.
No building-wide alarm sounded when the fire broke out because St. Mary's does not have a hardwired alarm system, Burke-Sivers said.
The cost of installing a hardwired system in St. Mary's, which exists in all other campus buildings except for Howard Hall and the Observatory, would exceed the value of the building, Burke-Sivers said.
An alternative, he said, is to link the various smoke detectors in the building together so that when one is activated, an alarm will sound throughout the building. A fire consultant will evaluate the building on Monday.
Another concern, Burke-Sivers said, is the sensitivity of the building's smoke detectors. Tuesday's fire did not set off a smoke detector because it did not produce enough heat or smoke. The smoke detectors throughout the building will be evaluated in the near future, Burke-Sivers said.
St. Mary's Student Center was built in 1937. It currently serves as a student lounge and also houses the offices for Student Activities, the Moreau Center, ASUP and The Beacon.
The Moreau Center experienced minor damage from the fire. On Wednesday, the office was open, but the computers in the main room were damaged and unusable, said Kacy Keippela, a Moreau Center staff member.
For Melissa Florer-Bixler, a Moreau Center staff member, the fire is the latest in a series of structural problems in the building.
"It's a small instance of a much larger problem that is St. Mary's," she said.
The Moreau Center experienced repeated roof leaks during a rainstorm in January, Keippela said, and the ceiling fell through on part of the office. The roof for the entire building was replaced last May, she said.
Florer-Bixler said Tuesday's fire indicates that the problems with the building go beyond inconvenience.
"It's a safety issue, too," she said.
According to Physical Plant Director Paul Luty, a fire marshal inspects all the buildings on campus once a year to check for hazards like exposed wiring and extension cords that are chained together. It is impossible, however, to check every outlet and every switch on a regular basis, he said.
