Officials continue to seek fire's cause

The flames of the fire that broke out Friday morning in Ehringhaus Residence Hall have been extinguished, and residents of the damaged suite have moved into different rooms on campus.

But questions still linger as officials try to determine the cause of the fire.

Larry Hicks, associate director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education, said the investigation is ongoing.

“We are always inspecting the building, and nothing up until this point signaled there were any conditions prevalent there that would lead to a problem, which is why we’re doing the investigation now,” he said.

The police report indicates that a faulty surge protector caused the fire, and officials are trying to determine if anything else in the residence hall contributed to problem, Hicks said.

He said an event like this is rare, and the last time he remembers a residence hall fire was several years ago when a candle ignited a quilt in Carmichael Residence Hall.

“We do a lot of preventive maintenance in our buildings, and if we find things that are a potential harm, safety is our number-one issue, so we address them,” he said.

“I don’t think you could’ve prevented anything like this from happening.”

And three days after the smoke settled, Tori Cheek, a resident of the room, said the University has been cooperative and helpful.

“No one intended for it to happen, and I feel like its always possible that something will happen,” she said.

“Out of all the buildings and dorms on campus, it’s amazing that it doesn’t happen more than it does. You’ve got to give (housing officials) credit for something at least.”

All of the residents' possessions were destroyed by the flames. “The only things I have are the clothes on my back,” Cheek said. “I also had my bookbag and computer with me.”

Cheek said Friday’s fire was not the first electrical incident her suite experienced.

She said she thinks the same thing that caused Friday’s fire happened earlier this year on Halloween.

“There was a small fire that came from the same electrical outlet the fire marshals said this fire came from,” Cheek said. “I was in the room with a friend, so we were able to control it.”

Cheek and her roommate also had experienced other electrical problems throughout the year: An outlet in her room blew out and destroyed her microwave and refrigerator.

The women in the room directly across the hall from Cheek also experienced electrical problems that resulted in broken speakers.

On Friday morning, Cheek had difficulties operating her microwave, and the lights in the room across the hall were flickering. She said she was in a hurry and did not question the incidents.

“(My friends) think it’s a really sad situation,” Cheek said. “And they know the University should have done something about it the first time it happened.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.