Police Investigating Fires in Five Hours at Va. Campus
Source The Virginian-Pilot
April 17--NEWPORT NEWS -- Classes were canceled at Christopher Newport University on Tuesday night after firefighters responded to at least five bathroom fires during the day.
No injuries were reported, and damage was minimal, the university said. All of the fires are considered suspicious.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., the university put out notice that Tuesday night classes were canceled, and classes will resume at 8 a.m. today. The notice also said all buildings on campus were closed, except for David Student Union, Trible Library, the Freeman Center and the Commons.
About 30 minutes earlier, two small fires were put out at Forbes Hall, the university said. Damage was minimal.
At 4:45 p.m., the university issued an alert about a bathroom fire at McMurran Hall, an academic building. That was the third reported fire of the day on the campus.
The first fire occurred in a second-floor men's bathroom at David Student Union about 12:20 p.m., said Lori Jacobs, a university spokeswoman. Newport News Fire Department responded. The student union was evacuated as a precaution but reopened an hour later. The second floor remained closed as firefighters continued to investigate, but the building has since fully reopened.
Then about 2:30 p.m., students were evacuated from the Freeman Center, a sports and convocation center, where a small fire was reported in a bathroom there, Jacobs said.
A fire extinguisher was used to douse the blaze before Newport News firefighters arrived. The fire department is investigating.
State Police leading the investigation asked anyone with information on the fires to call 757-424-6800 or email at [email protected]. Callers can also contact the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Classes scheduled to meet today in McMurran 210 have been moved to Freeman Center 101, the university said. Classes scheduled to meet in McMurran 212 have been moved to Freeman Center 202. Classes scheduled to meet in McMurran 216 have been moved to Freeman Center 201.
To see a statement from Dean Kevin Hughes, click here.
Pilot writer Mike Connors contributed to this report
Copyright 2013 - The Virginian-Pilot
