Dorm fire displaces 100 UVM students

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- A fire that damaged a dormitory at the University of Vermont was an accident, officials said yesterday.

No one was injured in the Sunday night blaze that displaced about 100 students. Those in the building were alerted by a fire alarm.

''Some oil was left on a stove unattended," said Burlington Fire Marshal Terry Francis. ''It caught the cabinets on fire, extending it to a large area."

Francis estimated the fire caused about $70,000 worth of damage.

The students spent Sunday night in hotel rooms. Most were expected to return yesterday. About 40 students from the area most affected by the fire expect to be living in the hotel for about a week, officials said.

The building, called ''C-High," is part of the university's Living and Learning Center off Main Street, east of University Heights.

The fire began in the first-floor student lounge, said Burlington Fire Captain Jim Woodman. As firefighters were arriving at about 9 p.m., flames shot out the window. Before firefighters were able to contain the fire, it had spread into another room. Eight other rooms had significant damage from heat and smoke.

The building did not have a sprinkler system, university spokesman Enrique Corredera said, adding that a sprinkler system was scheduled to be installed next summer.

The fire alarm drew many students from their rooms, but without much urgency, 19-year-old Kristen Costa said. There had been enough late-night false alarms to not stir a panic.

However, by the time Costa got outside, she could see flames. She said students remained calm leaving the building.