For residents of Windward Commons, Saturday morning brought an unexpected scare leading to an emergency evacuation and swift support from campus officials.

“Savannah Fire Department responded to an electrical fire early on Saturday, Oct. 18. The fire is believed to have originated in the exhaust fan in the bathroom of a room,” confirmed Jennifer Wise, Chief Communications Officer for Georgia Southern.

 The extent of the damage is currently being investigated by authorities, but there are no reported injuries following this incident. The Dean of Students Office and University Housing are assisting those involved. 

The Savannah Fire Department was dispatched to investigate the alarm and Residential Assistants and University Housing staff immediately took action to ensure the safety and security of the students. Campus security helped enforce the mandatory evacuation while the fire department inspected the building. 

Mimi Forrester, Windward Commons resident, stated, “Overall, as somebody on campus, I am grateful that they seemed to do their best in making sure that everybody got outside, and the RAs were making sure all of their kiddos were accounted for.” 

Students Report their Experiences

While some residents expressed appreciation for how quickly staff and residential assistants responded, others described the experience as tense and uncomfortable. 

“I didn’t realize how scary it was, because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in an actual fire situation,” said Windward Commons resident Kenleigh Turner. “It kind of settled in, and I got really nervous…  I didn’t know how serious the fire was.”

In addition to the worry of some residents, others claimed that the alarm system did not alert them to evacuate the building. Though the matter is currently being resolved, this highlights the importance of scheduled equipment checks to ensure the safety of all residents of dorms and student accountability measures. 

How to Prevent Dorm Fires Like This

To prevent similar electrical fires from occurring, avoid running exhaust fans for longer than 20 minutes as it can cause overheating. In addition, students should remain mindful when cooking in the kitchens or when using appliances and should comply with ALL guidelines and precautions listed on the Georgia Southern website. 

Unplug appliances when they are not in use to prevent overloading outlets. Unplugging chargers, small appliances and heat-producing items, such as curling irons, can make a big difference. 

Don’t ignore the warning signs. If an outlet or appliance is hot to the touch, immediately unplug it and report the issue to campus housing staff or an RA. 

Frequent false alarms can lead students to ignore them, which is dangerous if a real fire or other emergency occurs. Every alarm requires a response from campus resources and emergency services, which could be a strain on the budget, especially for false alarms. The potential for students to ignore alarms due to habit is a major safety concern, requiring schools to constantly balance emergency preparedness with the reality of nuisance alarms.

All fires can be life threatening and even deadly, and should be treated with such urgency. In the event of a fire in any building on campus the university advises that you follow the R.A.C.E procedure for your ensured health and safety.