Dorm room damaged by fire; floor evacuated for night

Brooks Hall residents gather on lawns across the street west of the dorm as firefighters extinguish and investigate a fire in a third-floor dorm room at McCook Community College. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette) [Click to enlarge]

Many residents in the dorm at McCook Community College didn't take last night's fire alarm seriously. They have real fire drills, and they suffer through prank fire alarms from time to time. Somebody scorches a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

"I thought it was fake," said Lisa Daffer of Danbury. "Then somebody came running down the hall yellin' it was a real fire." That was at 9:40 p.m.

"We could smell smoke in the hallway, and outside," said Jessica Secrest of Bertrand.

Daffer and fellow residents of Brooks Hall were immediately evacuated and gathered on lawns across the street west of the Brooks Hall dormitory. They waited for just three minutes before City of McCook fire trucks and firefighters arrived, answering a page of a fire on the third floor of the dorm.

McCook Fire Chief Marc Harpham said the fire in the dorm room triggered the room's automatic sprinkler head, which had partially extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived to completely put it out.

Harpham said the fire started when an unauthorized candle, left unattended, burned some papers which fell onto a counter top and burned curtains.

Harpham said the dorm's sprinkler system contains water at all times. Each sprinkler head in each room is equipped with a heat-rated capsule that melts and opens only that sprinkler head. Neither the whole floor nor the whole building were sprinkled, he said.

Two residents, who tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, were treated for smoke inhalation by EMS personnel on the scene, but they were not transported to the hospital.

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Harpham said that McCook physician Dr. Corrine Phillips-Ward arrived to offer assistance. "Only in a small town like McCook would that happen," he said, expressing his appreciation for her help on the scene.

Chuck Salestrom, Mid Plains Community College Area director of public information, said this morning that Michelle Gill, the area dean of student life, reports that there is significant fire, smoke and water damage in one dorm room, extensive water and smoke damage in six adjacent rooms and smoke damage throughout the third floor.

Salestrom said he would be surprised if, in the light of day today, there isn't also water seepage into rooms below.

Salestrom said college officials are waiting for insurance adjusters to determine damage amounts. Harpham said damages could easily exceed $100,000.

About 15 third-floor students were housed at a local motel last night, Salestrom said, and could possibly be again tonight.

Many of the third-student residents are baseball players, he said, who were out of town at a ball game.

First and second floor residents returned to their rooms.

Salestrom said classes continue today as usual.

Salestrom said repairs on the third floor could be completed throughout the summer. Residents' last day in the dorm will be May 5, the same day as graduation.

Salestrom said that having lighted candles in the dorm rooms is a violation of residence hall policy.

Harpham said he very much appreciated the assistance of Dr. Phillips-Ward at the scene.

He also commended the college staff, "for their assistance and the organized and timely, safe evacuation and accountability of the students."

Harpham said 18 firefighters, two pumper trucks, one ladder truck, one ambulance and one command vehicle were on the scene until about 12:30 a.m.