ASHLAND, Ohio — A weekend fire is forcing dozens of Ashland University students to relocate for the rest of the school year.
No one was hurt when an electrical fire broke out at a residence hall on campus, but some belongings were damaged by smoke and water. Now the school and community are hoping to help the affected students.
The campus was mostly empty for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend when the fire started at Amstutz Hall on Friday.
"I didn’t know what was happening. I just saw fire truck after fire truck pulling up and the smoke coming out of the building,” said junior Lauryn Stover.
The AU music major is a resident assistant and said she was making her rounds when she got an alert about a fire alarm on her floor.
“I was worried about my stuff, all of my residents. I didn’t believe anyone else was on my floor, but I did know of one resident that was supposed to be here over break. So I was really worried about her,” she said.
The University said only nine people were in the dormitory at the time and all evacuated safely. Crews traced the fire to an electrical closet on the third floor.
“This is where the fire started… It burned up through here,” said VP of Operations Rick Ewing, pointing to a charred door. “It did get warm enough to set off the sprinkler in this location, which is the main reason why this floor had so much water on it.”
Ewing showed News 5 the inside of the 1960s-era building on Tuesday. He said the fire traveled up the electrical lines from the third floor to the fourth floor. Smoke inundated other floors. The sprinkler system and fire hoses left several inches of water behind.
Ewing explained that the fire and water extensively damaged the electrical system.
“The building is unusable largely because there’s no way to get that electrical back on,” he said.
Over 140 residents of Amstutz Hall have been relocated to other open residence halls on campus. On Tuesday, a maintenance team was moving the final belongings out of the dorm for one student who was still traveling back to school after the holiday break.
While most property was not affected by the fire, many students are still assessing the damage caused by water and smoke.
"It was like every other thing I had to trash because it was water-logged or smoke-damaged,” said Stover.
She said she threw out a soggy futon, mini fridge and other items on Sunday. Stover’s father said his daughter is among the students fortunate to have family support and the means to replace damaged property. He worries about others with more difficult circumstances.
"My sister had brought up the idea of trying to get toiletries, laundry detergent and cleaners to try to help them clean up their stuff,” said Ben Kooken.
Kooken has been putting out a call on social media for donations of basic necessities to help students until the school can assess damage and provide reimbursements.
The University said it will work with its insurance to see what will be covered. It also plans to dip into a Student Emergency Fund to assist with damages not covered by insurance. The fund will benefit from donations during Giving Tuesday.
“This community has always gathered together when there’s an emergency. This is no exception,” said Robert Pool, the VP of Student Affairs. “Our motto, one of our core principals at Ashland University, is ‘accent on the individual.’ I think our staff, residence life team, safety, facilities, everybody, came through with flying colors.”
Kooken and his daughter praised the response from the university so far. Immediately after the fire, Stover said the displaced students were given access to a campus store where they received free clothing, food and supplies for the night.
She said she’s grateful for the support so far and is thinking about her peers adjusting to the sudden disruption.
“[I hope] that everyone is able to recover and get most of their belongings replaced, and that they’re able to recover from this very traumatic incident,” she said.
You can donate to the Ashland University Student Emergency Fund by clicking on this link.
You can also drop off cleaning and laundry supplies, toiletries and other basics at the following locations:
-Willard City Schools: 1 Flashes Avenue, Willard, OH 44890
-Farmhouse Creations: 316 W Walton St, Willard, OH 44890
-Willard Fire Department: 425 Fort Ball Rd, Willard, OH 44890
-Shelby Fire Department: 23318 Shelby Rd, Shelby, IN 46377
-Shelby YMCA: 111 W Smiley Ave, Shelby, OH 44875
