A fire was reported at approximately 7 p.m. tonight in the Atwood Residence Hall of Harvey Mudd College, according to a post from HMC at 8:22 p.m. In an update shared at 9:27 p.m., HMC communicated that the fire has been extinguished, identified the source as an electric skateboard battery and affirmed that all students are uninjured and accounted for.
“Emergency responders arrived quickly and have worked to contain the situation and ensure the safety of our community,” HMC’s initial post read.
According to HMC, emergency personnel from LA County Fire remained on site after extinguishing the fire; Campus Safety, the Division of Student Affairs and Facilities and Management teams are actively assisting with the response and damage assessment.
Atwood resident Sam Winkler HM ’27 said he saw “firetrucks everywhere coming in and out,” and described seeing how the bollards had been taken down to allow emergency vehicles and campus security access.
Winkler said he believes the fire took place on the second floor in the Northeast corner of Atwood. Although not present during the dorm’s initial evacuation, Winkler reported observing “a ton of smoke that rose up onto the third floor” on his walk back from choir practice.
“There might also be some water damage below,” Winkler said. “You can see they sort of fenced off everything and moved all the ‘Atwoodians’ to the Linde Athletic Center. We’ve all been chilling in there and waiting for more information, though many people have dispersed.”
Winkler said that everyone whose room was “seriously affected” received a phone call, and he expressed gratitude that such a call never came his way.
A big point of discussion among Atwood residents has been where they will sleep tonight, Winkler said.
“Even though we might be able to go back into our rooms at some point tonight, depending on where you live, it’s not recommended because of the smoke,” he said.
According to Winkler, finding alternative accommodations has “been in the hands of students.” HMC Student email threads have been active with sympathetic peers offering space in their rooms for Atwood residents to spend the night.
“Staff in the Division of Student Affairs are working with students whose rooms have been impacted by the fire and smoke to provide alternative accommodations and are providing other support resources,” the update posted by HMC said.
The Office of Communications and Marketing at HMC did not respond to comment at the time of publication.
This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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