In one incident, a sprinkler head was tampered with, preventing it from operating
By: David Campbell
Fires broke out in two dormitories on the Princeton University campus early Sunday morning, one of which is being investigated as an act of arson, university spokeswoman Cass Cliatt said Wednesday.
Students in Lourie-Love and Scully halls were awakened early Sunday and briefly evacuated from their dorms while the fires were extinguished.
There was no substantial property damage from either fire, and no injuries were reported, Ms. Cliatt said.
Personnel with the university Department of Public Safety, the Princeton Fire Department and Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad responded to both events.
At about 6:30 a.m., a fire alarm in the basement exercise room of Lourie-Love was activated.
When responders arrived on the scene, they discovered a smoldering ream of computer paper in a box that had been pushed underneath a foosball table.
The sprinkler in the exercise room was prevented from activating, because the sprinkler head had been covered with a pair of underwear, authorities said.
Ms. Cliatt said public safety officers are investigating the fire as a suspected arson, and the department asks members of the campus community to come forward with any information they might have.
"It appears this is a case of arson, because of the apparent intentional nature of the fire, and the fact the sprinkler head was covered," she said. "That prevented the sprinkler from activating, but not the alarm."
She said students at Lourie-Love returned to their dorm rooms in about 20 minutes.
There was another small fire earlier Sunday at about 5:16 a.m. in Scully Hall, where there also was a brief evacuation, but in which arson is not suspected.
A small fire was discovered in a garbage can in a hallway in the dorm. There was no evidence suggesting the fire was set intentionally, and could have been started accidentally by something like a lit cigarette. Public safety officers put it out with a fire extinguisher, Ms. Cliatt said.
The students returned to their dorm rooms about 15 minutes after the building was evacuated, she said.
The Princeton Fire Department was on the scene of the earlier incident in Scully Hall when the alarm sounded from the second fire in Lourie-Love Hall, an official with the fire department said.
Responding to both incidents were Mercer Engine Co. No. 3 and Princeton Hook & Ladder, as well as the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, the official said.

