United States: Fire At Southern Adventist University Claims One Student, Injures Two Others

Collegedale, Tennessee, United States …. [Southern Adventist University /ANN Staff]

A 3:30 a.m. fire in a women’s residence hall at Southern Adventist University claimed the life of a 20-year-old female student and sent two others to a local hospital Tuesday, April 26.

Kelly Weimer, a junior English major from Woodridge, Illinois, was killed in the blaze. Treated and released at Erlanger Medical Center were Jen Bigham, a freshman broadcast journalism and psychology major from Biglerville, Pennsylvania and Cassandra Snyder, a freshman general studies student from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Several other residents of the dormitory were treated on-site.

“This is affecting us very deeply here at the university,” says Gordon Bietz, president of the school. “Please pray for the students and the staff as we struggle to deal with this tragedy.”

“Our hearts go out to [Weimer’s] family, friends and loved ones both here at the university and back home in Illinois,” Steve Pawluk, senior vice president for academic administration, said in a press release.

According to school officials, the fire broke out near a kitchenette on the third floor of Thatcher Hall, the women’s dormitory. It was contained to a kitchenette/laundry, a public restroom and a lobby of the west wing’s third floor. The fire did not enter any student room.

Twenty-two fire trucks from area fire companies responded. All 574 residents of Thatcher Hall have been evacuated and are in a safe location on the campus. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

As of now, the dorm’s south wing has reopened. The east wing has also reopened but only to allow students to re-enter their rooms by escort to retrieve items.

“We have one fire drill each semester in each dorm, and they are scheduled during the night hours. These drills are monitored by the Fire Marshall,” Bietz said at a press conference held later in the day.

Thatcher Hall was built in 1968 and is compliant with state fire codes for a building that age, says Bietz. There are smoke detectors in each dorm room. Campus safety officials report that the fire alarm did sound, alerting the women to quickly evacuate the building. The structural integrity of the walls in the west wing worked to limit the spread of the fire.

A “Service of Remembrance” will be held at the on-campus Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8 p.m. local time on April 26, and campus counselors and pastors are providing assistance to the students.

Exams will continue at the school, as counselors advise a continuation of normal activities to help in the healing process. At the same time, students needing special consideration will be accommodated.