Thayer Evacuated After Wastebasket Fire

Students were evacuated from Thayer Hall on Friday morning after a small fire broke out in a fifth floor bathroom, according to Harvard University Police Department officers present at the cordoned-off site.

Police blocked off and guarded Thayer Hall until the building was inspected after a fire around 9:30am on the fifth floor. By Alana M Steinberg

Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde confirmed in an email that the fire occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on the north side of Thayer and was limited to a wastebasket.

“The smoke tripped the water abatement system, which released water that then flooded the building  from the 5th floor down to the basement,” Lassonde wrote. “Yard Ops is cleaning all the water out and will get the electrical inspectors to go in afterward to declare the building safe for students to re-enter.”

A custodial van pumps water out of Thayer Hall, which flooded today after a wastebasket fire on the fifth floor. Students were evacuated from the building, which complicated move out plans. By Alana M Steinberg

Thayer resident Junius O. Williams ’18 said the evacuation significantly disrupted his move-out plans.

“I am trying to pack up my things, my parents are driving in…and everything was supposed to have been packed by now,” Williams said Friday morning. “And now the room is in shambles.”

Thayer resident Cormac M. Conners ’18 also expressed concerns about student liability for water damage caused by the fire.

Students were able to return to the building by about 2 p.m., and Lassonde said the University and the Freshman Dean’s Office would “fully support” affected students.

—Alana M. Steinberg contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Luca F. Schroeder can be reached at luca.schroeder@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @lucaschroeder.