The agency issued its recommendations Tuesday, May 1 in a preliminary report on the July 1998 fire aboard the Carnival Cruise ship Ecstasy. The Ecstasy, headed from Miami to Key West, was disabled by a fire that began in a laundry room and took four hours to control. On May 1, one student was killed and another seriously burned in a luxury student high-rise at the University of Texas in Austin. N.J. Each year, university officials and fire authorities investigate more than 1,800 blazes in dormitories and Greek housing.
Many more fires claim lives in off-campus student housing.
About a third are attributed to arson, followed by smoking and cooking. In response to student and parent concerns, a growing number of colleges and universities has begun upgrading residential fire protection systems. Projects include installation of sophisticated alarm systems that reduce false alarms, and the retrofit of dormitories, fraternities and sororities with automatic sprinkler systems. Sprinkler systems more than double survival rates for occupants in burning buildings. The comprehensive new web site includes an inventory of significant hazards and related safety tips.