Hall fires put lives at risk
A series of fires at Wilson House, Imperial's second largest hall of residence, has caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage while endangering the lives of residing students. Students were shocked to receive news that the hall was nearly burnt to the ground on more than one occasion.
In an email to residents, Hall Warden Dr. Michael Bluck explained that "only prompt action by hall staff prevented disaster and there has been significant damage to both personal and Hall property".
The biggest fire was due to a chip pan left unattended by a student on the last week of term. During the incident a Wilson subwarden was injured trying to extinguish the fire and the hall was evacuated in accordance with fire safety regulations. Two additional fires over the same week also prompted similar evacuations, leading the Warden to warn students that "the chances of evacuating everyone quickly enough are slim", while placing various posters outlining the seriousness throughout the hall.
College Chief Fire Officer Peter Seal told Felix, "providing rules are obeyed during the evacuation, everyone would be able to exit the building in time. I wouldn't say Wilson House had a higher fire risk than other Imperial halls; students do, however, become complacent."
Items such as the chip pan which caused Wilson's most serious fire are strictly forbidden under hall rules and Felix learnt that the instigator of the fire will face disciplinary action. Due to the Victorian-converted Hall's alarm system, wardens are not able to pinpoint the exact location of any fire alert and so are often left having to search up to 15 rooms to find the source.
Bluck told Felix, "I'm not confident about everyone being able to evacuate the hall in time if a fire spreads. The chief fire officer is talking about a statistical result. The issue is that it's an old building and we can't guarantee that everyone will get out."
A Wilson House re-app said, "using a chip pan in halls and then leaving it unattended was a completely irresponsible thing to do. This person obviously has no consideration for the safety of the hall's residents, including the Warden's family who also live in the hall."
The Warden has arranged for a Fire Officer to give a talk on safety issues this term and stated that given the seriousness of the incidents, attendance is compulsory and a register of students will be taken.
