A fire burned a rooftop patio located on the backside of Hillside Hall around 8 a.m. on Friday, April 16.
IUS Police officers responded, and the New Albany Fire Department was called to the scene.
Although Jim Wolfe, director of Physical Plant, had no comment on the cause, Erica Walsh, public information specialist, said she knew what the cause was.
“The official cause won’t come out until next week, but we believe it was related to smoking,” Walsh said. “I believe the official term is the improper disposal of smoking material.”
IU Southeast is a tobacco-free campus.
Response
IUS custodians reported the fire, and the IUS Police Office was notified. There were about 10 faculty members inside of Hillside Hall at the time, but there were no injuries reported. The damage was limited to the exterior of the building.
The School of Business and the School of Education are located in Hillside Hall.
The fire did delay a business retreat for some members of the School of Business. Eric Schansberg, professor of economics, said, in light of the fire, the retreat has been postponed until next week.
Rex Chapman, mathematics sophomore, said he was in Crestview Hall when the fire started.
“I was looking out the window and I saw a cloud of black smoke,” Chapman said. “Some of the custodians started running to talk to each other, and one of them finally decided to do something.”
Charles Edelen, IUS Police chief, said an officer evacuated Hillside Hall soon after the call was made. The New Albany Fire Department then came onto the scene, and the fire was extinguished.
“It was in an isolated spot,” Edelen said. “The area was hardly, so far as I know, ever used.”
Walsh said there was no damage to the classrooms or faculty office space. There were no classes scheduled at the time.
Walsh said the only damage was to the rooftop patio area itself, which is located above some faculty offices in Hillside Hall.
Rooftop patio
The rooftop patio itself is made up of concrete tiles held up by a grid of stands that offer support for the tiles. Below the grid lays a membrane, which keeps water from leaking inside, a layer of insulation material and then a concrete slab that makes up the bottom of the patio.
The fire burned through the patio’s membrane and some insulation, but the concrete was unaffected.
Repairs
A local contractor, the Geoghegan Roofing Company, arrived around noon to start making temporary repairs. These repairs were meant to keep water from leaking into the building during the weekend.
Wolfe said the company only made emergency repairs and will take a closer look at the area next week.
“We filed the claim, and we were told to go forward with the repairs,” Wolfe said. “Next week, the contractors will begin making more-permanent repairs.”
Wolfe said he had no estimate on the cost of the repairs just yet. He said they will have to replace all of the roofing material in the affected area.
Dana Wavle, vice chancellor for Administration and Finance, said the cost of repairs will be reimbursed.
“I don’t think the repairs will exceed $15,000, and we’re hoping it can be less than that,” Wavle said.
IU Risk Management, which oversees the prevention of and response to possible risks on campus, is responsible for purchasing insurance for IU Southeast. IU Southeast is self-insured, and, because they have paid their annual premium, this is a case where the cost of repairs will be reimbursed.
Wavle also said this whole thing could have been avoided.
“We’re very disappointed because someone chose to violate the tobacco-free policy and cause physical damage to the campus,” Wavle said. “It’s an unfortunate situation, and I hope people will choose to comply with the tobacco-free policy now.
“This highlights the magnitude of how serious things can get when a policy isn’t followed.”
Senior Editor
jwdever@umail.iu.edu