25 Students Displaced in Purchase College Dorm Fire

HARRISON, NY — A fire in one of the Purchase College dorms Sunday night displaced 25 residents.

The blaze broke out at about 10 p.m., according to news reports. No one was injured.

Campus personnel worked during the fire to track all students, communicate with the college community, and arrange for emergency housing and supplies. On Monday, officials met with the students who were displaced from the apartment-style dorm and with the entire college community.

In addition to finding new permanent housing, the students are being helped with replacing their belongings.

Fire safety is a top priority on the 64 campuses of the State University of New York system.

SEE: With the Semester Starting, NY Conducts College Fire Safety Inspections, Education

Here's the letter SUNY Purchase President Thomas Schwartz sent to the college community on Monday:

As you are aware, a fire broke out in the Commons late last evening, affecting about 25 residents in the K Street apartment. Local, County and State Fire personnel responded and the fire was quickly contained. No one was injured and emergency accommodations were provided as needed to those who were displaced. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the New York State Fire Inspection team; however, the cause is not suspicious. While our crews work with the state to secure the site, there will be no access to K Street residences. We apologize for the inconvenience but safety is our top priority. Members of the Office of Community Engagement were at on scene throughout the evening to ensure the safety of students and to secure temporary lodgings for those who were displaced by the fire. They continue to meet to identify permanent accommodations both on and off campus. In the meantime, the Purchase College Association will be arranging for dining as well transportation to and from the hotel where students currently are housed. The PSGA will be hosting a supplies drive today in the Red Room of the Student Services building at 12:30. We also will be arranging two information meetings for later this afternoon; the first with the students who were affected by fire and the second for the campus community. An announcement about these meetings will be forthcoming. As ongoing needs are assessed, the college will tap all resources available to provide aid and funds. We will update you on procedure. I want to thank our students, our resident advisors and counselors and our community engagement staff as well as members of our UPD for the excellent work in response to this emergency. We had many on active duty last night to make sure that we knew where our students were. Our communications team did a good job of getting out messages to the campus about what was happening. It is times like these during which it is clear that the Purchase community is united and dedicated to taking care of its members. Please know that our Student Affairs staff, including our counselors, are here if you need them. Feel free to contact me or any other Administrators. And finally, please continue to check your emails for further updates. www.purchase.edu 914.251.6000 Purchase College, State University of New York 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577

PHOTO/ Joe Sugrue via Kempter's Fire Wire