A University College building was evacuated last night (28th May), with a fire engine and an Oxford University Student Security Services van posted on the High Street following the incident.
Cherwell understands that the reason for the evacuation was that a student had lit a candle and then thrown the match into a bin in their room. This led to the Goodheart building, one of the college’s accommodation blocks, being evacuated after the bin was set on fire.
According to a student from the college, the situation was then swiftly dealt with by the head porter and a handful of firefighters. The fire was put out quickly, but students were not allowed back into the building for several hours because of the smoke.
In a statement, Univ told Cherwell: “On Wednesday evening, the Fire Service attended University College in response to a fire in a student room. The building in which the fire occurred was briefly evacuated whilst the fire was contained.
“No student or member of staff was harmed in any way. The College is grateful to staff and students for managing the situation quickly and responsibly, and to the Fire Service for its prompt attendance and professionalism.”
It comes weeks after parts of Brasenose College had to be evacuated for multiple hours following a chemical leak. Students then faced extended periods outside of their rooms as the fire service dealt with the incident, which also caused disruption to tutorials and the hall dinner later that evening.
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