Several parts of Crothers Hall flooded on Saturday morning after a small fire in an upper-floor room triggered the building’s fire alarm and an emergency sprinkler at 2:23 a.m. The sprinkler quickly extinguished the flames but flooded the surrounding area and rooms directly below after running for several minutes.
Crothers residents evacuated the dorm after the alarm began to sound. Shortly after, a group of students gathering outside on Galvez Mall witnessed water streaming from the upstairs balcony due to flooding from the building’s emergency sprinklers.
“I was asleep, [and] I thought I was dreaming or something,” Crothers resident Victoria Ma ’30 said. “I thought I was hearing sounds … [or] having a crazy dream, and then I turned, pulled out my earplugs, and it was louder. … It’s very overwhelming.”
Firefighters from Palo Alto Fire Department’s (PAFD) Engine 66 quickly arrived on scene to evaluate and address the situation. They deemed the building safe for re-entry at around 2:43 a.m., stopping the fire alarm and sprinklers before allowing residents back inside.
Most residents were able to return to their rooms almost immediately. However, students whose rooms were closest to the fire had to wait for firefighters to clear water from the affected areas.
“Crews quickly shut down the water riser and requested Truck 66 to assist in mitigating water damage,” PAFD Battalion Chief Ryan Stoddard wrote to The Daily. “While the fire was confined to its container of origin, approximately 12 rooms sustained water damage, displacing 20 residents.”
Cleanup and restoration efforts in Crothers Hall are currently underway. The University has placed large fans in the building to help dry the affected spaces and is providing additional support to the 20 students whose rooms flooded.
“Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) and Residential Education (ResEd) are providing alternative housing accommodations and support to affected students,” University spokesperson Luisa Rapport wrote to The Daily.
An initial on-site investigation conducted jointly by the fire response team and the on-call fire investigator “determined the cause to be incendiary, originating in a trash can containing paper waste and a used match,” Stoddard wrote.
The University is still investigating the cause of the fire, according to Rapport. Some Crothers residents reported that a candle triggered the incident, while others credited the fire to an improperly disposed cigarette which ignited a garbage can.
“We would like to remind our students that smoking, candles and other open flames are not permitted in residence halls. Hot or smoldering items should never be placed in a wastebasket or other combustible receptacle,” Rapport wrote.
Fire crews cleared the scene around 4:22 a.m. after replacing the sprinkler head and restoring fire suppression and alarm systems, according to Stoddard.
“I’ve never seen anything like this happen in a dorm,” Crothers Resident Assistant (RA) Komi Ergashev ’28 said. “I don’t know how they are going to compensate, how they’re going to repair this or how long it’s going to take.”