Four fires were ignited in Village C dormitory causing damage to University and student property on the morning of January 26, 2001.
Two D.C. Fire Inspectors who responded to the scene in Village C labeled the fires as crimes of arson.
According to Judy Bataille, Vice President of Public Affairs, no suspects have yet been named. The Department of Public Safety, the D.C. Fire Department, and the Metropolitan Police are conducting investigations into the incidents.
At approximately 5:15 a.m. on Jan. 26th the first fire was discovered when a Village C resident alerted two roommates that a message board located on their dormitory door was ablaze. The fire was extinguished by one of the students using water.
According to a campus-wide arson alert distributed by DPS, two of the other fires occurred inVillage C elevators. One of these fires was also perpetrated in the west wing, the other in the east. The fire in the west wing elevator was started by a poster mounted on the wall. This fire left scorch marks.
In the east wing elevator, discarded paper was set on fire. The arson alert, however, reports only “minor damage” to this elevator.
A fourth fire discovered was the result of wood placed against a Village C basement door and subsequently set afire. The D.C. Fire Department as well as the DPS were unavailable for any further comment on the state of the investigation. However, Bataille said, “given the property damage and potential for serious injury caused by fires, the University takes these actions very seriously.”
