Fire ignites in the Institute building
The LDS Institute of Religion canceled classes Wednesday and Thursday after a heated stove top in the building’s kitchen ignited a cardboard box and filled the building with smoke.
Students at the Institute were 15 minutes into their 9:30 a.m. classes when the fire alarm went off.
Institute instructor Richard Gordon said he was holding class on the third floor and smelled the smoke before the alarm went off.
“We barely had time to sing a song and say a prayer, and then we had to leave the building,” Gordon said.
Institute Director Wayne Dymock said a box of apples intended for students as part of the Institute’s enrollment efforts was set on the stove.
Craig Humphreys, the Logan fire marshal, said someone bumped into the stove, which turned it on, ignited the box and trip the alarm.
“The fire was contained to the room of origin,” Humphreys said. “And it had heavily damaged the ceiling, the cabinets and the wall above the stove-top appliance.
“There had been some fire extinguishers used by bystanders prior to the fire department’s arrival, which I’m sure helped the fire get smaller.”
Fred Bittner was one of those bystanders. Bittner, a USU student, was in Thomas Cherrington’s Institute class when he smelled smoke prior to the alarm.
“Brother Cherrington directed everyone to head toward the exit while he poked his head around the corner to see the source of the smoke,” Bittner said. “My curiosity caught me and I followed.”
Bittner said he followed Cherrington to the kitchen and then retrieved a fire extinguisher before opening a back door into the room. The area was filled with thick smoke, he said, and plastic from the light fixtures was burning on the floor.
After retrieving a second extinguisher, Bittner and Cherrington attempted to put out the fire before the smoke grew too thick and forced them to evacuate, Bittner said.
The building was almost entirely evacuated by the time fire crews arrived at the scene, Humphreys said. Because of the size of the building, he said smoke removal took a significant amount of time.
Mark Woodbury, associate director of the Institute, said based on last year’s enrollment numbers, he estimated 700 students were taking classes at 9:30 a.m. when the alarm went off Wednesday.
“By the time you have the cabinets, the paint and the smoke damage … I’d put it at $10,000,” Humphreys said, estimating the damages.
The fire was out within 10-15 minutes, he said.
“Due to the preparation of the staff at the Institute,” Humphreys said, “the evacuation went smooth, and everyone was able to get out of the building safely. And that makes our job easier.”
An email from the Institute to students stated the building was expected to reopen Friday.
– ariwrees@gmail.com