Massachusetts recognizes September as College Fire Safety Month

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – This is a busy time for college students new and old. It can be extremely dangerous if students aren’t given the proper training.

Just last Sunday, a fire started in a dorm room at UMass. The cause: a burning candle left unattended. While no one was injured, that isn’t always the case. A 21-year-old died in an off-campus apartment fire in 2013. September has more college campus fires than any other month according to the Department of fire services. Tony Spear, a lieutenant with the West Springfield Fire Department, described how new college students should handle a very common scenario.

“If you’re in a dorm room you might have a bunch of people in there. Just be aware of where you are. Make sure you’re aware of the exits to the buildings. Make sure you aware what you’ve got going on in the buildings,” said Spear.

Massachusetts has experienced 2500 college fires in the past five years. This makes fire safety all the more important to it still early on.

American International College teaches every new student about fire safety during student orientation. This is followed by regular fire drills in every building. AIC Police Chief Roberto Gonzalez told me the key aspects to staying safe in an emergency.

“Awareness of stairwells, evacuation, procedures, and pull stations and that’s one thing that I have my officers reengage all the time and we point those things out in a lot of times that you know people yeah I know where it is or how to use it but you don’t,” said Gonzalez.

College campus fires caused over two and a half million dollars in damage between 2019 and 2023. The number one cause of these fires is unsafe cooking practices.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.