A dozen students in USC’s Nemirovsky and Bohnett Residential College were displaced when a mattress caught fire Sunday.
A frayed computer cord lit a mattress on fire in the building, but sprinklers in the dorm quickly put out the blaze, according to a statement from Steve Goldfarb, director of fire safety, emergency planning and business continuity.
Displaced residents were first moved to the USC Hotel and then relocated to dorms in Troy Hall, Cardinal Gardens and Cowlings and Ilium Residential College, according to a statement from USC Housing director Chris Ponsiglione. As the mandatory move-out day for all residents living in USC housing is May 10, students will be spending less than a month in these spaces.
This isn’t the first time a fire has displaced residents at USC in recent years. In 2015, NBC reported that 12 students were displaced after a mattress caught on fire during finals season.
In February 2018, a fire in New North Residential College displaced 32 students. DPS reported that a “burned out electrical strip” caused the fire. USC Housing said that despite 16 rooms being damaged, no student was injured. The displaced residents were sent to the Radisson Hotel on Figueroa Street, according to previous reports from Annenberg Media.
In October 2019, residents of Fluor Tower were forced to evacuate the building due to flooding from a false fire alarm that set off sprinklers.
Over 30 Fluor Tower residents were forced to relocate to New North and South residential colleges for approximately six to eight weeks because of the severe water damage to their rooms.
Lauren Schatzman, a sophomore studying design, said she was asleep when the fire alarm went off. No damage was done to her apartment, and housing has not asked to relocate to another building.
“I’m glad that they’re doing whatever they can to keep us safe because I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Schatzman said.
Lea Volvain, also a sophomore studying design, wasn’t home when the dorm above hers caught fire. She learned about the fire through a group chat and returned the next day to find ash in the apartment and some water damage from the sprinkler system that affected rugs and other items on the floor. She and her roommates were relieved to find their computers and other electronics hadn’t been impacted.
“It was a big moment of panic, but I came back and I realized it was fine,” she said. “I was like ‘OK, it could’ve been way worse, and I’m just glad everyone was safe.’”
Volvain and her other roommates have been assigned to live in Troy Hall for the rest of the semester and also stayed at a hotel before being reassigned. She said USC Housing got in touch with the affected students quickly and helped them get accommodations for both the hotel and their new dorm assignments.
“They’ve been helpful in this entire process, and they’ve been making sure we get anything we need,” she said.