A little before 9:30 on Sunday, September 30, College sophomore Chris Przybylski preheated the oven in his apartment on the 14th floor of Clairmont Tower. When the oven was warm, he placed a chicken inside – ready to enjoy a dinner.
The chicken never finished cooking, and Przybylski never got to eat his dinner.
About three minutes later the smoke alarm went off in the apartment. As the kitchen filled with smoke, Przybylski and his roommate, Billy Hupp, looked into the oven and saw flames.
Hupp and Przybylski rushed to College sophomore Gregory Fricker’s nearby apartment in search of a fire extinguisher as smoke poured out the door behind them. As Fricker called the Fire Department, the fire alarm went off in the entire building and the residents began to evacuate.
After inspecting the apartment, the Fire Marshall identified the incident as an accidental, standard food fire.
However, Hupp said he did not believe that this was actually the case because the chicken had only been in the oven for mere minutes. He also noted that he and his roommates had had previous problems with their oven.
“It was no one’s fault,” Hupp said. “It was a hardware malfunction. I don’t know how it could have been prevented.”
According to Director of Resident Life Andy Wilson, the cause of the fire is still currently under investigation.
As a result of the fire alarm, fire officials and Residence Life staff became aware of the fire and arrived at the scene of fire shortly after, Wilson explained in an email to the Wheel.
The fire alarm also signaled to residents that they should leave the building, Wilson said.
Residence Life staff directed residents to the Student Activities and Academics Center (SAAC), H-Space and Clocktower Commons, as protocol directed.
However, Hupp said the alarm did not go off in all parts of the building, and residents on the 15th, 16th and 17th floor did not evacuate.
“I half expected to see flames coming out the windows,” Hupp said, describing his feelings as he waited in the SAAC. “I didn’t know the magnitude of the fire. All I knew was that there was a lot of smoke.”
The sprinkler system caused minor damage throughout floors 2-14, Wilson said.
Residence Life helped residents from floors 12-14 find alternative places to stay for the night, but they were able to return to their apartments by 8 a.m. on Monday, Wilson elaborated.
Campus Services staff members began drying the building following the fire, according to Wilson.
Wilson stressed that Residence Life did their best to keep residents updated during and after the incident by calling and emailing them.
If residents need to report any problems with facilities related to this incident, they can call Campus Services at 404-727-7463.
– By Elizabeth Howell
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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