Early Morning Fire Strikes Drew Academic Building

Some classes Drew University's Seminary Hall suffered water damage this morning after a small fire in a second floor closet caused sprinklers to activate.

Fire and smoke damage were minimal but water from the sprinklers soaked through the central section of the building, the school said in a statement.

“An alarm call came in at 7:09 a.m. this morning,” said Chief of Public Safety Robert Lucid. “Evidence of a fire was discovered in a closet in the vestibule area of Seminary Hall’s second floor.”

The fire activated and was quickly controlled by the building’s sprinkler system, but the resulting water damaged the core of the building.

“The water from the sprinklers cascaded down through the first floor and into the basement,” said Lucid.

The Drew Facilities Department will begin a cleanup over the weekend and undertake a full assessment of the damage on Monday.

Impact on Classes, Work

Seminary Hall will remain closed through Tuesday, January 24. Class and work schedules have been impacted as follows:

• All Theological School classes on Monday, January 23 and Tuesday, January 24 have been canceled.
• All College of Liberal Arts and Caspersen School of Graduate Studies classes scheduled for Seminary Hall on Monday and Tuesday will be moved to other locations pending the availability of alternate classroom space. Students will be notified as to where their classes will meet.
• Theological School Dean Jeffrey Kuan will communicate directly with faculty and staff who work in Seminary Hall about access to the building.
• Further updates will be communicated as necessary.

Drew University thanks the Madison Fire Department for its quick response. The cause of the fire is under investigation.