SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) –
Two tragic college fires over the weekend and Amherst Fire Chief says they should serve as a warning for students.
Smoke and flames consumed a Boston house overnight Saturday where several Boston University students live. One student had to jump to escape the flames and is in critical condition.
The same night a massive fire in Poughkeepsie New York kills 3 people, 2 of them Marist College students.
“You think oh my god that could be here,” said UMass Fire Prevention Service Supervisor Michael Swain.
Swain says fire is always a concern especially for students who live off campus, where the school doesn’t have as much authority.
”If we can educate them on campus and teach them things they can take with them when they go off campus or get a job somewhere,” explained Swain.
At the top of the list of things you should do, have a working smoke detector and Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson says have an exit plan.
“We want these kids to know how to get out,” said Chief Nelson.
“People don’t realize how fast you have to react. You have to start moving toward an exit, if you can’t get out you have to know where the next place to go is to get out,” added Swain.
And when you get out, have a meeting place, and if you can’t get out?
“Call 911 tell them where you are in the house or get out on a porch, yell from the window hey I’m here in this window,” said Swain.
We talked to students living off campus.
“We light candles a lot, we’ll have to be more careful, never realized it,” said Junior Jessica Jorge.
“I did unplug my toaster before I left so I do my own little things,” said grad student Kenneth Vasques.
”Me and my roommates haven’t done much about safety but definitely something to think about,” said Justine Delpriore.
UMass has had it’s own fatal fires, the most recent at an off campus house in 2003 when a female student died. They say they do everything they can to educate students to hopefully prevent something like that from happening again.
Parents- when looking for a college with your children, check to make sure all student housing including frats and sororities are fire sprinklered. If they decide to live off campus, make it is fire sprinklered housing.