By Jada Butler
Assistant News Editor
A fire broke out in the second floor kitchenette of Queens Residential Hall midday Monday, March 6. The fire was caused by a cooking incident – a popcorn bag accidentally placed in the microwave for 20 minutes instead of the advised two and a half minutes. Smoke quickly filled the second floor and the alarm was sounded.
Students exiting the residence hall assumed the alarm to be another drill, and were surprised to find the fire marshall was not waiting outside for them as in previous months.
After ten minutes of the continuous alarm blaring, students were visibly anxious and began to ask questions. Several residents from the second floor said that the second floor was filling with smoke; another saw the door to the kitchenette propped open with trash cans.
Kenneth Conn, a night electrician, later confirmed a small kitchen fire. “Someone overcooked their snack,” he said. After students were allowed to return inside, two public safety officers remained on the scene. The floor smelled of smoke, the microwave received scorch marks, and a window in the kitchenette broke as a result of the fire.
Representatives of Public Safety assured the incident had been contained and no one was injured, but made no further comments.
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