U.S. Fire Administration

Campus Fire Fatalities 

in Residential Buildings

(2000-2015)
1

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Executive Summary

The goal of this report is to reveal the factors that are 

leading to the unnecessary fire deaths of college students. This study provides comprehensive information 

about campus fire fatalities to college and university fire 

and safety officials along with the local fire and emergency service organizations that serve these institutions 

so they can better plan to reduce and prevent injuries 

and deaths on college campuses in the future. 

This report examines data from fatal campus fires and 

the fatalities that resulted from these fires, beginning 

with the horrific fire that took place in January 2000 at 

a Seton Hall University dormitory, where three students 

and 67 others were injured, through May 2015.

During the last 16 academic years from 2000 through 

2015, there have been 85 fatal fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities and off-campus housing, resulting 

in 118 fatalities — an average of approximately seven 

per school year.

An astonishing 94 percent of fatal campus fires examined took place in off-campus housing.

Smoke alarms were either missing or had been tampered with (disconnected or battery removed) in 58 

percent of fatal campus fires.

Fire sprinklers were not present in any of the 85 fatal 

campus fires.

A disproportionate number of fatal campus fires 

occurred on the weekend — 70 percent on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Males were more likely than females to die in campus 

fires, accounting for 67 percent of all victims.

Alcohol was a factor in 76 percent of all fatal campus fires 

— fires where at least one of the students was drinking 

and, according to reports, legally drunk, which is at or 

above 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Smoking (29 percent) was the leading cause of fatal 

fires in campus housing, followed by intentional 

actions (16 percent), electrical (11 percent) and cooking 

(9 percent), with 18 percent of the fires classified as 

cause undetermined.

The adage “nothing good happens after midnight” 

rings true for fatal campus fires, with 73 percent occurring between midnight and 6 a.m.

April was the peak month (13 percent) for fatal fires 

in campus housing, with January, May and October at 

12 percent each. Predictably, the least number of fires 

occurred in June, July and August, when there are fewer 

students enrolled in classes at colleges and universities.

Methodology

The preliminary research for this report began with an 

analysis of campus fire fatalities from three sources: (1) 

Center for Campus Fire Safety — Fire Fatality Data; (2) 

Campus Firewatch Campus-Related Fatal Firelog, and 

(3) USA Today’s Report on College Fires, published in 

August 2006.

The next step was to establish criteria for what constitutes a fatality. For this report, a campus fire death must 

meet the following criteria: (1) occurred in an on-campus residence hall, family housing, or college-owned 

off-campus dwelling fire; (2) occurred in an off-campus residential dwelling unit fire that is located 5 

miles or less from the campus that the student attends 

(includes a rented house, duplex, apartment, rooming 

house, or privately owned residence hall that is not 

the student’s permanent family residence); or (3) any 

person enrolled as a student at an institution of higher 

learning or any student visiting another student’s college or university who died in a residential dwelling 

unit fire. Those not considered campus-related fire victims: (1) suicide victims by fire; (2) students murdered 

by means other than fire; (3) family members visiting 

or living with the student; (4) nonstudents who live 

with students in off-campus housing; (5) graduated or 

former students; (6) students living with a spouse or 

their children in a permanent residence; and (7) students on vacation. This includes spring, semester or 

summer break and holidays.

Initially, the scope of this project was to look at all campus fire fatalities, but in an effort to be consistent with 

reports based on the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) 

National Fire Incident Reporting System data and to com-
2

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

pare campus fire fatalities with the general population, 

only residential deaths are included in this report. This 

excludes college fatalities that occurred in classrooms, 

administrative buildings, science laboratories, dining 

halls and campus settings. This eliminated two fatalities.

Much of the preliminary information collected was 

valuable but incomplete and was comprised of sporadic information included in early media reports. An 

exhaustive Internet search for updates on incidents was 

followed by hundreds of calls and email communiques 

to collect myriad facts from each fatal fire. The officials interviewed were comprised of mostly state and 

local fire investigators and fire marshals, along with 

local and university fire chiefs, campus fire safety staff, 

registrars, local police, and university staff. Several 

fatalities were not included in this report when it was 

discovered during research that the students had graduated, were not enrolled in school at the time of the fire, 

or were living in their permanent residence with their 

family. In this report, campus represents both on- and 

off-campus residential housing.

The following information was obtained for each fatality:

•	 Date of incident.

•	 Day of the week of incident.

•	 Name.

•	 Age.

•	 Gender.

•	 College/University.

•	 State (50 states or District of Columbia) for mapping 

purposes.

•	 Address.

•	 ZIP code.

•	 Time of alarm.

•	 On/Off campus.

•	 Alcohol or drugs as a factor in the death.

•	 Cause of fire — arson, cooking, smoking, electrical, 

candles, heating, other or undetermined.

•	 Presence of functional smoke alarms — yes, no, or 

yes/tampered and rendered inoperable.

•	 Presence of a fire sprinkler system.

No individual incidents were referenced in this report. 

The officials interviewed for this report were informed 

that the USFA will not publish, post or release any 

information about a single incident or the individual(s) 

who died in the fire. Only aggregate data from multiple 

events to analyze the major factors will be published. 

Most of this information is readily available from the 

aforementioned resources.

On-Campus Versus Off-Campus Housing

Figure 1. Location of Fatal Campus Fires 

(2000-2015)

On Campus

Off Campus 94%

6%

Source: USFA Data.

More than nine in 10 fatal campus fires (94 percent) 

took place in off-campus housing.

The appeal of independent living coupled with saving money draws students to the outskirts of campus 

searching for off-campus housing. The strict dormitory 

rules are absent from these dwellings. At many colleges, 

especially those in an urban environment, students 

have little choice and are forced to live in an enclave 

of homes offered up by some landlords who see dollar 

signs when renting a house.

Why are these deaths occurring in off-campus dwellings? 

The answer is a lack of control. From the fire safety features to the electrical system and everything in between, 

colleges and universities control the building maintenance. The school also controls what the students bring 

into that building and, more importantly, what they 

don’t bring in, such as halogen lamps, hot plates, electric 

frying pans, toaster ovens, and space heaters. The college, 

to some extent, can control the student’s behavior in 

on-campus housing, especially for the two biggest factors 

involved in fatalities — drinking and smoking.

There have been no fire fatalities in an on-campus 

dormitory in more than a decade (April 2005). This is 

due to an increased emphasis on fire safety, such as fire 

sprinkler systems and monitored smoke and fire alarms.
3

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Campus Fire Fatalities by Gender

Figure 2. Campus Fire Fatalities by Gender

Female

Male 67%

33%

Source: USFA Data.

Males were more likely than females to die in campus 

fires, accounting for 79 of the 118 fatalities or 67 percent of all victims.

Alcohol as a Factor in Fatal Campus Fires

Figure 3. Alcohol as a Factor in Fatal Campus 

Fires (2000-2015)

No

Yes

76%

24%

Source: USFA Data.

Alcohol was a factor in 76 percent of all fatal campus fires 

— fires where at least one of the students was drinking 

and, according to reports, legally drunk, which is at or 

above 0.08 percent BAC. Students under the influence of 

alcohol or drugs are more likely to participate in risky 

behaviors that could cause fires. Additionally, students 

under the influence may respond more slowly to sounds 

of smoke alarms or not respond at all. A 2005 study, by 

Abraham Hasofer et al., showed that blood alcohol levels 

as low as 0.05 percent had a very significant effect in 

slowing down the response of all subjects.1

1 Hasofer, Abraham, Thomas, Ian, Ball, Michelle and Bruck, Dorothy. (2005). Statistical Modelling of the Effect of Alcohol and Sound Intensity 

on Response to Fire Alarms. In: 8th International Symposium of the International Association for Fire Safety Science, September 2005.
4

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Cause of Fatal Campus Fires

Figure 4. Cause of Fatal Campus Fires (2000-2015)

Undetermined

Other

Heating

Candles

Electrical

Smoking

Cooking

Intentional

9%

29% 11%

7%

6%

4%

18% 16%

Source: USFA Data. 

Smoking (29 percent) was the leading cause of fatal fires 

in campus housing. In about half (52 percent) of the 

fatalities where smoking was determined to be the cause 

of the fire, smoking materials smoldered in a couch 

over time. A third of the couches were located outside 

the dwelling, either on a porch or deck. Cigarette and 

other smoldering fires are generally started by careless 

actions before people retire for the night; such fires may 

go unnoticed and grow while residents are sleeping. The 

problem is so prevalent in college towns that local ordinances have been passed in many communities banning 

upholstered furniture outside residences. During the last 

15 years, the campus fire fatality data show that there 

have been more than 50 couch fires on a porch or deck, 

resulting in a dozen deaths.

Smoking is now prohibited in most college residence 

halls. Along with intricate alarm systems and fire suppression equipment, the problem of smoking-caused 

deaths is virtually nonexistent on campus.

Additionally, many off-campus rentals forbid smoking inside. This has resulted in students tossing their 

smoking materials just outside the door as they walk in. 

One-quarter of smoking-related campus fatalities have 

begun just outside the door when smoking materials 

were discarded in unsafe containers, such as a plastic bag 

filled with garbage, a can containing combustible and 

flammable materials, and in one particular case a bag of 

charcoal briquettes adjacent to a can of lighter fluid.

Age of Campus Fire Fatalities

Figure 5. Age of Campus Fire Fatalities (2000-2015)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

18 years 19 years 20 years 21 years 22 years 23 years 24 years 25 years 

Percent of Campus

Fire Fatalities

Age

16.0 18.0

31.0

12.0

2.0

10.0

2.0

9.0

Source: USFA Data.

The majority of colleges and universities require 

freshmen to reside in student housing, where they are 

afforded all the security and protections that come with 

on-campus residential life. Nearly half (49 percent) of 

the campus fire fatalities were 20 and 21 years old, the 

age of most sophomores and juniors, with their first 

foray into independent life ending tragically.
5

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Alerting/Suppression Systems in Fatal Campus Fires

Figure 6. Functional Smoke Alarms in Fatal 

Campus Fires (2000-2015)

Yes

Unknown

Tampered

No

38%

3%

39%

20%

Source: USFA Data. 

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 

the risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes 

with working smoke alarms. More than half (58 percent) of fatal campus fires occurred in residences where 

smoke alarms were either missing or had been tampered with (disconnected or battery removed). This lack 

of early warning is a considerable factor in residential 

fatal fires. Additionally, an automatic fire sprinkler system was not present in any of the 85 fatal campus fires.

A too common theme among these fatal fires is that 

students get annoyed when smoke alarms activate 

while cooking and remove the batteries, and students 

rarely replace them after cooking.

While the smoke from one or two cigarettes isn’t enough 

to activate a smoke alarm, a party situation with multiple smokers in a poorly ventilated room may be enough. 

Again, students disconnect or remove the batteries at the 

very time when they are at the most risk — a party.

With respect to off-campus housing fatal fires, the students aren’t the only ones to blame. Some rental homes 

are in disrepair with many rentals lacking working 

smoke alarms or not providing two exits from a room.

Sadly, some off-campus houses are very old, poorly 

maintained, and equipped with inadequate wiring to 

handle the electric power requirements of today’s student. A student’s room may contain a coffee maker, space 

heater, computer, printer, television, power chargers for 

several devices, refrigerator, and toaster oven connected 

to a labyrinth of extension cords and overloaded power 

strips. It’s easy to see how the cause of 11 percent of fatal 

campus fires was electrical. (See Figure 4.)

The Boston Globe Spotlight Team published an 

eye-opening series titled “Shadow Campus” that 

exposed a situation which endangers college students 

living in substandard and often dangerous off-campus 

housing in the Boston area — home to more than 100 

colleges and universities.

Comparing Fatal Campus Fires in Residential Buildings 

With the Civilian Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings

This section looks at fatal campus fires from 2000-2015 

and compares them to all fatal fires in residential buildings from 2011-2013.

The lifestyle of a college student differs greatly from 

that of civilians in the general population. For many, it’s 

the first time they’ve lived away from home, and they 

are embracing the independence, and in some cases the 

new responsibilities, that come with this freedom. For 

most students, the last fire safety training they received 

was in grade school.

Not much can go wrong in terms of fire safety when 

students are safely ensconced in an on-campus residential 

hall protected by fire doors, an intricate alarm system, 

and in many cases sprinklers. But when the calendar 

reaches Friday in the middle of the night, the choices they 

make could test even the most resilient fire safety plan.

A look at Figures 7 and 8 show when fatal fires 

occurred by day of the week in residential buildings 

and in campus residences, respectively. Percentages of 

fatal fires in residential buildings ranged from 13.3-15.2 

percent by day of the week, with the slightest increase 

on the weekend. A disproportionate number of fatal 

campus fires occurred on the weekend — 71 percent 

on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, compared with 45 percent of the fatal campus fires in residential buildings.

The time of fatal fires in residential buildings and campus housing differs immensely. See Figures 9-12.
6

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Figure 7. Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings by Day of the Week (2011-2013)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Percent of Fatal Fires

in Residential Buildings

13.9 13.3

14.6 14.5 15.2 14.8 13.8

Source: USFA analyses — “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2011-2013).”

Figure 8. Fatal Campus Fires by Day of the Week (2000-2015)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Percent of Fatal 

Campus Fires

10.0

5.0

8.0

19.0

32.0

20.0

6.0

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 9. Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings by Time of Alarm (2011-2013)

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

11PM-Mid

10PM-11PM

9PM-10PM

1PM-2PM2PM-3PM3PM-4PM4PM-5PM5PM-6PM6PM-7PM7PM-8PM8PM-9PM

12PM-1PM

10AM-11AM

11AM-12PM

9AM-10AM

Mid-1AM

1AM-2AM2AM-3AM3AM-4AM4AM-5AM5AM-6AM6AM-7AM7AM-8AM8AM-9AM

Time of Alarm

Percent of Fires

6.2

7.1

6.5

7.2

5.9

4.9

3.6 3.3 2.9 2.6

3.3 3.1 2.8 3.0 2.6 2.9 2.6

3.2 3.3 3.6

4.9

3.8

6.7

Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings

Residential Building Fires

4.0

Source: USFA topical report — “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2011-2013).”
7

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Figure 10. Fatal Campus Fires — Time of Alarm Hour by Hour (2000-2015)

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

22.0

24.0

26.0

10-10:59 PM

11-11:59 PM

6-6:59 

7-7:59 PM

8-8:59 PM9-9:59 PM

PM

1-1:59 PM2-2:59 PM3-3:59 PM4-4:59 PM5-5:59 PM

10-10:59 AM

11-11:59 AM

12-12:59 PM

1-1:59 AM2-2:59 AM3-3:59 AM4-4:59 AM5-5:59 AM6-6:59 AM

7-7:59 AM

8-8:59 AM9-9:59 AM

12-12:59 AM

Percent of Fires

Time of Alarm

2.0

4.0

12.013.0

25.0

14.0

2.0 2.0

0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00.0 0.0 0.00.0 0.00.0 1.0 2.0

5.0

18.0

0.0

Percent distribution of fatal fires in on-campus and off-campus residential buildings (2000-2015) hour by hour. Source: USFA Data.

The percentage distribution of fatal fires in residential 

buildings by time of alarm also differs immensely 

from that of fatal campus fires. Figures 9-12 show that 

fatal fires in residential buildings peaked in the early 

morning hours, but not as drastically as the fatal campus fires, where almost three-quarters (73 percent) of 

the fires occurred between midnight and 6 a.m., compared to 40 percent of fatal fires in residential buildings 

that occurred during this same time frame. Figure 10 

shows that for fatal campus fires, no deaths occurred 

from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is coincidentally when 

classes are in session and before party time.

Figure 11. Fatal Civilian Fires in Residential 

Buildings by Time of Alarm (2011-2013)

0600-2359

0000-0559

60%

40%

Source: USFA topical report — “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings 

(2011-2013).”

Figure 12. Fatal Campus Fires by Time of Alarm 

(2000-2015)

0600-2359

0000-0559

27%

73%

Source: USFA Data.
8

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Figure 13. Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings by Month (2011-2013)

Month of Year

Percent of Fires

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

November

December

October

September

August

July

April

May

June

March

February

January

13.8

10.9 10.0 9.1

5.8 6.1 5.5 5.6

9.9 10.0

6.5 6.7

Fatal Fires in Residential Buildings

Residential Building Fires

Source: USFA topical report — “Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2011-2013).”

Civilian residential fatal fires occurred more frequently 

in the colder months, tracking the overall monthly 

residential fire incidence (Figure 13). The winter peak 

occurred during January (14 percent). Residential fatal 

fires were lowest from June through September. Figure 

13 shows that fatal campus fires were common at the 

end of the school year in April (13 percent) and May 

(12 percent) and at the start of the school year in September (11 percent) and October (12 percent). As with 

fatal fires in residential buildings, there was also a peak 

during the winter months — January (12 percent) and 

February (11 percent) — due to heating and increased 

indoor activities. Predictably, the least number of fires 

occurred in June, July and August, when there are fewer 

students enrolled in classes at colleges and universities.

Figure 14. Fatal Campus Fires by Month (2000-2015)

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

12.0

15.0

November

December

October

September

August

July

April

May

June

March

February

January

Percent of Fatal

Campus Fires

Month of Year

7.0

12.0

2.0 2.0 3.0

12.0 11.0

6.0

9.0

12.0 11.0

13.0

Source: USFA Data.

Smoking (28 percent) was the leading cause of campus 

fire fatalities. According to the USFA’s “Civilian Fire 

Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2011-2013)” topical 

report, the leading causes of residential building fatal 

fires were unintentional/careless actions (15 percent) 

and smoking (14 percent).
9

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

U.S. Fire Administration Campus Fire Fatality Data

The graphs preceding this section are based on statistics 

derived from the 85 fatal fires, whereas the following seven 

charts (Figures 15-21) reflect the 118 campus fire fatalities that occurred from January 2000 through May 2015.

Figure 15. Functional Smoke Alarms for Campus 

Fire Fatalities (2000-2015)

Unknown

Tampered

No

Yes 42%

20%

34%

4%

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 16. Campus Fire Fatalities by Day of Week (2000-2015)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Percent of Campus

Fire Fatalities

10.0

5.0

8.0

19.0

32.0

20.0

6.0

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 17. Alcohol as a Factor in Campus Fire 

Fatalities (2000-2015)

No

Yes

78%

22%

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 18. Location of Campus Fire Fatalities 

(2000-2015)

On campus

Off campus

92%

8%

Source: USFA Data.
10

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

Figure 19. Cause of Campus Fire Fatalities 

(2000-2015)

Undetermined

Other

Heating

Candles

Electrical

Smoking

Cooking

Intentional

18%

29% 11%

6%

6%

4%

19%

7%

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 20. Campus Fire Fatalities in Residential 

Buildings by Time of Alarm (2000-2015)

0600-2359

0000-0559

77%

23%

Source: USFA Data.

Figure 21. Campus Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings Hour by Hour (2000-2015)

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

22.0

24.0

26.0

10-10:59 PM

11-11:59 PM

1-1:59 PM2-2:59 PM3-3:59 PM4-4:59 PM5-5:59 PM6-6:59 PM

7-7:59 PM

8-8:59 PM9-9:59 PM

10-10:59 AM

11-11:59 AM

12-12:59 PM

1-1:59 AM2-2:59 AM3-3:59 AM4-4:59 AM5-5:59 AM6-6:59 AM

7-7:59 AM

8-8:59 AM9-9:59 AM

12-12:59 AM

Time of Alarm

Percent of Fires

3.0 3.0

11.0 12.0

25.0

14.0

2.0 2.0

0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00.0 0.0 0.00.0 0.00.0 1.0 2.0 3.0

23.0

0.0

Source: USFA Data.

Conclusion

As of the publication of this report, November 2015, there 

hasn’t been a campus fire fatality in nearly a year, with 

the most recent death occurring on Halloween in 2014.

During the last five years, there’s been an average of 

five campus fire deaths, compared to the first five full 

academic years of this report (2000-2004) where twice 

as many college students died in fire annually.

On-campus residential housing has become safer, with 

modern alarm systems and fire sprinklers protecting 

students. The last fire fatality in an on-campus dormitory took place in April 2005. There’s still room for 

improvement, as too many colleges hide behind building codes that allow residence halls to remain without 

sprinklers because of their age.

Off-campus living remains the highest risk for fatal 

fires, with more than 90 percent of campus fire deaths 

occurring in these dwellings. Colleges need to work 

with the surrounding neighborhoods. Universities are 

often the financial juggernaut in these towns and cities, 

and they have the ability to effect change.
11

Campus Fire Fatalities

in Residential Buildings (2000-2015)

“Ex malo bonum,” the Latin phrase meaning “out of 

bad comes good,” has taken hold on many college campuses. Parents who have lost their children to campus 

fires have become advocates for improving off-campus 

living and encouraging local leaders to implement 

change through fire safety ordinances and legislation.

One example is the Kerry Rose Fire Sprinkler Notification Act, which requires public and private colleges 

in New York state to provide written information on fire 

safety and sprinkler systems to students residing in college owned or operated housing. Kerry Rose Fitzsimmons 

and Eva Block were Marist College students who died in 

an off-campus fire along with a friend in January 2012.

The Peter Talen Smoke Alarm Ordinance, which 

requires all rental properties in Madison, Wisconsin, to 

have working smoke alarms, came to fruition through 

the work of his family. Talen died in an off-campus 

house fire in November 2007.

Highlighting the leading dangers involved in campus 

fatal fires results in describing this sad, stereotypical 

scenario. There’s a party in an unsafe and crowded 

off-campus house. The batteries have been removed 

from the smoke alarms. Exits are blocked with clutter. 

People are drinking and smoking in the wee hours of 

the morning. An antiquated electrical system powers 

many electronic devices.

A partygoer decides to cook and falls asleep while 

waiting for the oil to heat up. A smoker believes his 

cigarette is extinguished, and unbeknownst to him, it 

falls between the cushions of the sofa. Another smoker 

arrives home and tosses his smoking materials in a 

plastic bucket outside the door. A student plugs in his 

mobile phone, tablet and computer into a power strip 

that gets covered by a rug. Chilled by the walk back to 

her apartment, a student arrives home and turns on the 

space heater, which is covered by a comforter. Sound 

ridiculous? These are what caused fatal campus fires 

during the last decade.

The goal of this report is to reveal the factors that are 

leading to the unnecessary fire deaths of college students. This study provides comprehensive information 

about campus fire fatalities to college and university fire 

and safety officials along with the local fire and emergency service organizations that serve these institutions 

so they can better plan to reduce and prevent injuries 

and deaths on college campuses in the future.

Fire safety training needs to be provided to students, 

especially those embarking in off-campus living. The 

off-campus landlords need to see the value in providing 

fire-safe environments for their renters. Students need 

to be more aware of their surroundings, especially at 

parties; they must ensure that they have two ways out 

of every room, have functioning smoke alarms, and 

think before they drink and smoke. Schools, parents 

and students must partner to reduce residential fire 

injuries and deaths in and around college campuses.

One student fire death is one too many.