No injuries reported in UI residence hall fire

The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a fire early Thursday morning at a University of Iowa residence hall, according to a press release from the fire department.

The fire was reported at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday in a dorm at Daum Residence Hall, at 225 N Clinton Street. No one was in the dorm room at the time the fire started, and it was kept from spreading by the building’s sprinkler system until firefighters were able to extinguish it.

Students were safely evacuated from the building and moved to the lobby of the Burge Residence Hall while first responders secured the scene. About 50 students were temporarily displaced, but as of late morning Thursday, they were all able to return to their rooms, except for the unit directly affected by the fire, according to a university spokesperson.

Only the room where the fire started sustained fire damage, but other parts of the first and second floors of the building sustained water damage. No injuries were reported, the fire department release states.

“Our first priority is always the safety and well-being of our students,” Mark Bullock, assistant vice president for Campus Safety, said in a press release from the University. “We’re grateful the fire suppression system worked as it was supposed to, for the quick response by first responders and hall staff, and for the cooperation from students who were displaced early this morning.”

The cause of the fire still is under investigation by the Iowa City Fire Marshal’s Office and the University of Iowa’s Fire Marshal.

The Iowa City Fire Department was assisted in it’s response by the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications Center, University of Iowa Police, University of Iowa Facilities, and the Johnson County Ambulance Service, according to the fire department release.

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