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Mansfield Fire Failure

Faulty electrics at Mansfield College were the cause of a fire which left undergraduates without a computer room last week. Students, tutors and staff were forced to evacuate the main building amid confusion, bringing college life to a standstill. Four fire engines were called to the college after students reported the smell of burning. Problems with the electrical wiring beneath the floorboards had caused the insulation to ignite, and firemen were forced to rip away the ceiling beneath the computer room, leaving a gaping hole. Some students criticised the way in which the college handled the fire. “The first we knew about it was when all the libraries and computer room were evacuated. I thought it was a false alarm, though, because we were allowed back after while, first-year student Riaz Ahmed told Cherwell. “Soon after, though, you could smell some electrical burning and the whole main building was evacuated; it was pretty confused”. No fire alarm was sounded and some students refused to leave the building until asked to do so. Chris Morris, operations manager at Mansfield, said, “Some students carried on working despite the lights going out. No fire alarm was sounded because it is more effective to tell people to leave than take the risk of them ignoring what they think is just a practice”. No-one was hurt in the fire but the main college building was closed for the rest of the day, leaving some students unable to retrieve their work. The computer-room remained shut until the weekend. A loss-adjustor has been called in to assess the damage.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003

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