Sunday, May 09, 1999
Police look into Miami U dorm fires
$5,000 reward for information offered
BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD - On one of their last nights in a dormitory at Miami University, about 50 graduating seniors were roused from their sleep early Saturday to the sound of clanging fire alarm bells.
Someone set approximately five small fires in janitorial closets throughout Hahne Hall, a three-story brick building designed to hold 350 students. The building was evacuated and no one was injured, although three people slept through the alarm.
The dorm was locked, and there was no sign of forced entry. Only students and staff members with key cards should have been able to get inside, according to Sgt. Andrew Powers of the university police department.
Investigators from his department, as well as the state fire marshall's office, are trying to unearth the culprit and his or her motive. They are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“Who knows what they had in mind, whether it was to burn the building down or as a diversion or some sort of entertainment,” Sgt. Powers said. “Either way, it was a very dangerous situation.”
Oxford firefighters responded to the 2:30 a.m. call and quickly extinguished the flames. The building and some students' possessions were damaged by heavy smoke.
The fires were set in trash closets stuffed by students who moved out over the past few days. Those remaining in the dorm were seniors and others participating in the graduation ceremony today.
The closet doors were shut behind the fires, according to Oxford Fire Chief Len Endress. Still, the smoke was a danger to students in nearby rooms.
“Any time someone starts a fire in an occupied structure it's very serious,” he said.
Authorities do not yet know if the arsonist is a student or stranger to campus.
Dorm security became an issue at Miami University in 1994 after a much publicized rape and attempted rape.
Students now rely on coded key cards to gain access to buildings, and entrance doors are wired with alarms that sound if they are left open.
Officers acknowledge that strangers can get inside by following students or waiting for someone to become careless.
“There's really no system in existence that's going to be absolutely foolproof,” Sgt. Powers said. “The problem with the pass card is it's only as good as someone who uses it.”
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