Minor expense pays major dividends in fire at DePauw's Hoover Hall

Saturday, April 29, 2017

One of the least expensive pieces of safety equipment for the new dining hall came through when it was needed most Saturday morning on the DePauw University campus.

Hoover Dining Hall at DePauw University

Consequently about $20 worth of equipment might have saved a $32 million building from major damage after a small fire broke out in a storage room on the lower level of Hoover Hall, DePauw's new dining facility in the heart of campus.

The blaze was quickly extinguished by sprinkler system and quick reaction by the Greencastle Fire Department.

The fire -- cause of which remains under investigation but appears likely to be electrical, according to Fire Chief John Burgess -- began about 5:45 a.m. while no one was in the 48,600-square-foot building along Hanna Street near South College Avenue.

Burgess said damage was estimated at $5,000 to the building and $40,000 to the contents, which were not only damaged by water but by dry chemical application from the extinguishers.

These two sprinklers did their job and saved the day Saturday at Hoover Dining Hall.

DePauw reported a lost product estimate (food, paper goods, cost of clean-up) at $4,270.50, while still awaiting word on repair costs.

Although no one was in the building at the time, the safety system was up to the task, DPU spokesman Ken Owen told the Banner Graphic.

That includes a pair of brass sprinkler heads -- items that only cost about $5 or $10 apiece within a system that can cost thousands, Chief Burgess said.

"They did their job," Chief Burgess told the Banner Graphic. "I'm just glad it wasn't any worse ... that's a brand new building."

He explained that the sprinklers have a glass tube inside which breaks once the temperature reaches a certain point, allowing the sprinklers to activate and put down water.

While two sprinklers put out the bulk of the fire, a fire extinguisher was used once the Greencastle Fire Department arrived on the scene to fully put it out. No fire hoses were even necessary in the incident.

Greencastle firefighters responded to the scene at 5:51 a.m. and cleared the scene at 9:15 a.m.

They were advised of smoke in the storage room when they arrived and "found a little bit of fire," Chief Burgess said, extinguishing that with dry chemical and a water cannon.

"We push for smoke detectors," Chief Burgess said of preventative measures, "and if people can afford sprinkler systems, you can save yourself a lot of money."

The Hoover fire necessitated smoke and water clean-up and consequently the closing of the dining hall at least for Saturday breakfast.

"The main thing then was shutting down the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage and then venting the smoke from the building," the chief added.

Burgess explained that the building alarm system sets off an alert at the DePauw dispatch center, prompting someone there to connect with Putnam County to dispatch the fire department.

By 10 a.m. Saturday, the Health Department had given DePauw clearance to reopen Hoover Hall.

"All of us -- the DePauw administration and our friends from the fire department and public safety -- thank you and all students for their patience and understanding," Owen said in a statement for the university. "I can't say enough about the good work many people have performed in the early hours of a Saturday to make the process of recovering from this incident as quick and seamless as possible."

Hoover Hall is the DePauw's new dining hall just south of historic East College in the center of campus. It was formally dedicated last October.

The $32 million project took 29 months to complete after ground was broken on May 17, 2014.

Comments
View 1 comment
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • I'm sorry to be so particular, but "canter"?

    That's a gait of a horse.

    -- Posted by mandp523 on Sat, Apr 29, 2017, at 1:03 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: