Residents of the LSE Rosebery Hall report that around 2:15pm on 15th November, the hall’s laundry room caught fire. The emergency services were called and residents were evacuated.
According to a student who was in the laundry room when the fire broke out, the source of the fire was one of the newly installed dryers.
The student said, “Our hall just installed new dryers and I was in there with two maintenance workers when the fire broke out in one of the dryers. The [fire rescue] response was thankfully really quick and there was an extinguisher there as well.” The student said that she evacuated the room once fire broke out while the workers tried to contain the fire with the extinguisher.
Rosebery Hall had sent an email to residents earlier this month informing them that the hall would be installing new dryers on 11th and 12th November and that the laundry facilities would reopen for use on the 13th. However, on 13th November, the hall announced that the reopening of the laundry room was delayed until the morning today.
Students at the hall said they were evacuated and had to wait outside for approximately an hour while the fire rescue team worked to extinguish the fire and ensure safety.
After residents were allowed to re-enter, the hall sent out an email, which thanked them for “promptly evacuating” the building. It also reminded them of fire safety procedures and that they were obligated to comply with the UUK code of practice, which binds all residents at the LSE halls of residence to certain responsibilities.
The morning after the fire, the hall warden sent another email to residents, stating that the London Fire Brigade had “praised” the way residents conducted themselves during the fire evacuation and that an investigation was underway to establish the cause of the fire.
An LSE Spokesperson said, “The incident was safely contained, nobody was injured and there was no damage to the building. Fire is an extremely rare occurrence in halls of residence and the safety of our residents is always our top priority. A full investigation is now underway.”
