On Feb. 5, a fire was reported at one of the units inside The Meadows of Geneseo, a student housing community located at Hillside Drive. It was later determined the cause of the fire was an unattended coffee pot.
According to a press release issued by the Geneseo Fire Department, the fire was reported by one of the three tenants, a Geneseo student, at 1:15 p.m. Fire crews responded within minutes, able to contain the fire and extinguish it in 15 minutes.
As a result of the fire, “the first floor suffered heavy fire damage with the second floor having significant smoke damage,” according to the press release.
Despite the damage, the fire was contained to one apartment unit due to fire protection walls in the building. Moreover, no one was injured during the incident.
“The building did its job of containing the fire to one unit because that’s how they’re built,” Bridget Ellis, General manager of The Meadows, said.
Since then, the tenants have been relocated to another apartment with assistance from the American Red Cross, The Meadows and the college.
“The residents have been relocated,” Ellis said. “I helped them move into a new residence and helped get them all set up there.”
Ellis also explained the steps that will be taken to repair the damaged apartment, though the total cost and time it will take to fix the damage is still in question.
“So, we’re still in the process of needing to get estimates from construction companies. We’re still working with the insurance company … and what we’ll do is we’ll end up gutting the apartment. You know, this is all very new,” said Ellis.
After 11 years working at The Meadows, Ellis said she has never experienced an instance of this sort.
“We sent out letters to make sure everybody was aware of the fire, and we’re encouraging everybody to not leave things unattended because fires can happen,” said Ellis. “We have fire detectors and smoke alarms in all units we have, and the residents are going to have to take their own measures for fire awareness.”
Meadows resident and history and adolescent education major junior Spencer Mercure believes that The Meadows handled the situation well.
“I’m not super aware of the entire situation or who was involved,” Mercure said. “However, I think it was handled appropriately. We all received an email and reminder for proper protocols with equipment in the kitchen."