Over 400 students at the University of Cincinnati had to quickly evacuate when a fire broke out in their dormitory, Morgens Hall, late last night. According to the FOX19 report, a blaze on the second floor, caused by an artificial Christmas tree, set off alarms at around 10:19 p.m. No injuries were sustained, though the incident caused the displacement of 12 freshman students and resulted in an estimated $30,000 in damages, as fire crews worked to quickly contain the fire.
As students evacuated the high-rise, almost 50 firefighters responded to the scene to control and subsequently extinguish the fire. Despite the scare and displacement of students, some were able to be temporarily relocated to Fifth Third Arena and others to Scioto Hall, as the university spokeswoman mentioned to FOX19. "All floors except the second floor are currently being reopened," she added, noting the remaining impact of water damage and the pervasive smell of smoke. The university housing staff are now actively assisting second-floor residents with finding new accommodations.
Local12 also reported on the incident, confirming that the second floor of Morgens Hall remains closed as police investigate the cause of the fire. The rest of the building, meanwhile, has reopened to students. As for those directly affected by the fire, university staff are ensuring they have alternative lodging while the cleanup process is underway.
One freshman provided her firsthand account of the incident to WLWT, sharing the sudden rush and reality of the emergency. "I see a text to my roommate group chat and it's like, 'Guys, there's an actual fire, come downstairs,'" UC freshman Zoe Keaton-Varshay said. "And that's because usually it's like a drill and like, no one goes downstairs." She continued to describe the scene, "I look up at my dorm, and I can see the fire through the curtains, so I actually have a video of it. It was scary. And they were like, total flames," she said. "I don't even have any of my class stuff. Like, I don't even know if I'm going to be able to go to class tomorrow. And it's my it's like it's the first week of school. It's my first day in my Friday class, so it's kind of sucks."
