At approximately 10 a.m. CST March 3, North House residents were told they could not return to their rooms due to a small appliance fire. The fire activated the building’s sprinkler system, which resulted in water damage to portions of the first floor.
Melanie Asness, who resides in North House, said students could not re-enter their dorms for several hours after the fire.
“Students weren’t allowed back into the building for a while, and some people have to temporarily move their things and stay in dorms on main campus while the situation is being sorted out,” Asness said.
Asness’ room was not affected by the fire or sprinklers, but she shared concern for students who were.
“It was definitely chaotic at first since everyone had to leave quickly, and no one really knew what was going on, but it seemed like the university and fire department responded pretty quickly,” Asness said. “I really just feel bad for the students whose rooms got flooded because they had to pack up and relocate across campus on pretty short notice.”
Ethan Bleicher, who lives across the hall from the room where the incident occurred, was in class when the fire started and learned about it via a GroupMe message.
“I got permission to go in [North House]. My room was diagonal to the one that caught on fire, and my floor was soaking wet, and Vanderbilt had taken [the] liberty to throw out a lot of my personal items, like clothes and my rug, while tossing stuff like my towel and floor mat in a shower with dirty water,” Bleicher said.
Bleicher expressed frustration with the way the university handled the situation.
“They said they would relocate me but didn’t have any info about it and then pressed me to choose to move temporarily or permanently with no information on where I was moving. I chose temporary, and they placed me in Warren with my roommate but didn’t help us move at all,” Bleicher said.
Bleicher stated that he did not receive support following his displacement. The university has not provided an exact date for when he will be able to return to his dorm.
“My roommate and I had to carry our stuff for the week because they said we couldn’t move in before spring break, and they didn’t offer us any carts or assistance in the process,” Bleicher said. “I am generally annoyed at how the university handled those affected and how little they told those affected by the fire.”
A university representative praised the Nashville Fire Department and emergency personnel for their quick response in a statement to The Hustler.
“We are grateful that all students are safe. Vanderbilt University Public Safety and the Nashville Fire Department responded quickly, and the situation was promptly contained,” the statement reads.
Impacted students will be provided with temporary housing accommodations and ongoing support as the university repairs the damage.
