Student to blame for Village fire alarms early Sunday

Residents in Coyote Village were made to evacuate their rooms early Sunday morning as fire alarms blared through the halls.

An initial alarm sounded at 12:30 a.m., followed by two more within an hour. Students were given no  initial explanation for the alarms’ trigger from community advisors.

Initial efforts by The Volante to obtain comment about the situation from resident hall staff was denied Sunday.

Officers from the University Police Department were on the scene to regulate student traffic and aid housing staff. At around 1:30 a.m., CAs reported that the situation was “fixed,” and students were permitted to enter their rooms.

Phil Covington, associate dean of students, said Tuesday that the first alarm was the result of someone tampering with the fire safety system in Coyote Village.

UPD is investigating the situation and reviewing video footage. The second and third alarms were technical difficulties in trying to reset the fire panel. For safety precautions, USD Facilities Management called an outside firm to check the systems and to insure the safety of residents.

Coyote Village residents also reported noticeable amounts of water flooding the fourth floor and making its way down to the first floor of the south stairwell.

The severity of Sunday’s flooding is no match against the first-floor flooding last spring, which displaced nearly 500 residents from their dorms. Students were evacuated from their dorms on late January, and were relocated to local hotels for several days to ensure the electricity in the Village could properly function.