Early-morning fire at Cal Poly dorm injures student, displaces 60 residents
An electrical fire broke out at a Cal Poly on-campus housing complex early Thursday morning, injuring one student and displacing a total of about 60 residents, according to university President Jeffrey Armstrong.
The fire at Yosemite Hall Tower 6 on the southeastern end of campus started at about 3:15 a.m. and was likely caused by an overloaded electrical power strip in a student’s dorm room, Armstrong wrote in a campuswide message.
Although one student reportedly experienced minor injuries, the others in the hall were able to safely evacuate.
Much of the damage was contained to the second-floor dorm room where the fire started, Armstrong said, but other rooms throughout the three-story building may have some smoke damage and water damage from the sprinkler system.
Students on the first and third floors have been able to grab any personal or school items they may need and will likely be able to re-occupy their rooms later Thursday. Second-floor residents have not yet been able to access their rooms and may not have access again until Friday due to the damage from the fire, according to Armstrong.
The university provided all students in Yosemite with breakfast and contacted their teachers to let them know they may not be able to attend class Thursday.
“While we wish this didn’t happen, we are grateful that the life/safety systems in the building worked as designed and that our students have been flexible and understanding during this emergency,” Armstrong wrote in his message to the campus community.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
