INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE FROM ALERT CAROLINA: Update on Fire at Cobb Residence Hall
Fire crews remain on the scene of an attic fire at Cobb Residence Hall that seems to be contained. The 380 Cobb residents have been evacuated and will be housed elsewhere for the night. No one was injured in the incident, said Chapel Hill Fire Chief Dan Jones. Campus police have blocked the following streets in the area surrounding the building: Country Club Road, Battle Lane, Jackson Circle and Paul Green Drive.
The Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to an alarm at the residence hall at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday. Crew members smelled smoke and traced the fire to the attic’s insulation and structure in the northwest end of the building’s center section. A total of three fire departments responded, and flames were no longer visible by 6 p.m. Fire and smoke damage were limited to the attic and the section of the fourth floor directly below the fire.
Student Housing will be in contact with Cobb residents to arrange shelter for the evening. Most students, except those living in the northwest wing, should be able to move back in sometime Wednesday.
Cobb Residence Hall was built in 1952 and renovated in 2005. It is equipped with smoke detectors and alarms.
For further updates, see alertcarolina.unc.edu.
About Informational Messages: The University sends an Informational Message to inform the campus community about a situation that is not an emergency, but is expected to be of significant interest to the campus. An Informational Message is one of three tiers of communication under the University’s revised emergency communications plan. Emergency Warning refers to a siren activation for a significant emergency. And a Timely Warning is issued if there is a continuing danger AND notification will not compromise law enforcement efforts.
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