On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, fire in an off campus housing apartment near Indiana University of Pennsylvania displaces seven students. Fortunately there were no fatalities nor were there injuries. At the time of the fire, at approximately 10:00 p.m., none of the students were home. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the State Police spokesperson declined to comment on the status of their investigation.
The students were very lucky, according to research as performed by the Center for Campus Fire Safety, most campus fire fatalities occur in off campus housing. Since January of 2000, 82 fatal fires have been documented that occurred on a college campus, in Greek housing or in off-campus housing within 3-miles of the campus–claiming a total of 119 victims:
- 69 fires have occurred in off-campus housing claiming 100 victims
- 7 fires have occurred in on-campus building or residence halls claiming 9 victims
- 6 fires have occurred in Greek housing claiming 10 victims
Of the 82 fires documented:
- 14 were intentionally set claiming 22 victims
- 36 were accidental — includes cooking, candles, smoking, or electrical claiming 50 victims
- 32 of the fires the cause was never determined — or the cause was not available at press time. These fires claimed 48 victims.
CCFS has been documenting specific campus related fires deaths since Year 2000. Current and more detailed statistics, along with the definition of how we define “campus related fires” are always posted on the website, along with a host of fire safety resources and tips for fire safety professionals as well as students in both universities and off-campus housing. One of the resources includes a daily and ongoing listing of other fire incidents in the higher education arena.
To learn more about CCFS and its programs, visit www.campusfiresafety.org.
For additional information:
Fire Fatality Statistics and Definition:
http://www.campusfiresafety.org/firefatalitystatistics
Continual e-news -campus fire & safety:
http://www.campusfiresafety.org/News
Campus Fire Safety Resources: http://www.campusfiresafety.org/resources
About The Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS)
The Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) is a non-profit, member focused organization devoted to reducing the loss of life from fire at our nation’s campuses. The mission of The Center for Campus Fire Safety is to serve as an advocate for the promotion of campus fire safety. CCFS serves as the focal point for the efforts of a number of organizations and also as a clearinghouse for information relating to campus fire safety. Visit us at www.campusfiresafety.org for more information.
Media Contacts
The Center for Campus Fire Safety | 978.961.0410
Paul D. Martin, President, pmatin@campusfiresafety.org
