RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 There was an early morning fire at Lowder Hall in Auburn, Ala. AFD appears to now have everything under control although the building will remain closed for the remainder of the day. Damage reported on the inside - especially the first and second floor common areas, etc. However, public safety has confirmed no injuries. Todd Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News Elizabeth White/WTVM Elizabeth White/WTVM Elizabeth White/WTVM UPDATE: Fire in Lowder hall early Monday morning causes major damage to first floor lobby. @EagleEyeTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1367368679945256 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 The building has sustained damage to its second floor, said Public Safety Interim Executive Director Chance Corbitt. There is no external damage. The fire division responded at approximately 5 a.m., Corbitt said. The fire took roughly two hours to extinguish. Director of University Communications Mike Clardy said 29 Lowder classrooms are in use this summer and the number of students who will be displaced is "probably going to be in the hundreds, for sure." All the affected classes will be relocated to other buildings, Clardy said. http://www.theplainsman.com/article/2016/06/breaking-fire-at-lowder-hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,816 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Sounds like another day off if your classes are in Lowder today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
augolf1716 21,221 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Strange to me........... what type classes are held at Lowder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auburn 6 101 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Strange to me........... what type classes are held at Lowder? Business Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 UPDATE: Fire in Lowder hall early Monday morning causes major damage to first floor lobby. @EagleEyeTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autigeremt 6,652 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 It's been a long morning/day already. Good news is no one was injured. Bad news is it will take several weeks to get this straightened up. Glad it didn't happen in a lab setting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 It's been a long morning/day already. Good news is no one was injured. Bad news is it will take several weeks to get this straightened up. Glad it didn't happen in a lab setting.... Any further insight on how bad the damage is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,816 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 It's been a long morning/day already. Good news is no one was injured. Bad news is it will take several weeks to get this straightened up. Glad it didn't happen in a lab setting.... My first thoughts, that could get ugly at Poultry Science or Funchess....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Looks like AU is making contingent plans for Fall Semester ... Update on Lowder Hall fireDear Faculty, Staff and Students, As many of you know, the first floor of Lowder Hall caught on fire early this morning resulting in significant damage to multiple classrooms, offices and student spaces. Of utmost importance is the safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The building’s core structure remains intact, which is good news. However, damage to the ground floor and first floor has resulted in the temporary closure of the building and the immediate relocation of several classrooms and offices for the remainder of the summer semester. All classroom reassignments and schedule changes have been updated in AU Access. While the specific cause of the fire is yet to be determined, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Auburn Fire and Police Divisions as well as the State Fire Marshal’s office. It is not yet known when the exact cause of the fire will be released. At this time, the long-term impact of the damage to Lowder Hall remains unknown. My office is working with our academic units and Facilities Management to develop contingency plans for fall semester, and we strive to ensure that any potential relocation of classes or college-related events will minimally disrupt the academic mission of the university. We will keep the campus community updated on these as well as any other plans as they become available. For questions regarding rescheduled events, please contact Wendy Perry, Harbert College event coordinator, at perrywe@auburn.edu. Questions regarding academic classes should be directed to Norman Godwin, associate dean in the Harbert College of Business at godwinh@auburn.edu. Sincerely, Timothy R. Boosinger http://ocm.auburn.edu/news/alert/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Property restoration is already underway at Lowder Hall. @chpbrownlee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
augolf1716 21,221 Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 What no ServPro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Cause identified as electrical ... "After an extensive investigation, the Alabama Fire Marshal’s office has determined the likely cause of the fire in Auburn University’s Lowder Hall this morning was electrical and originated from a light and ballast on the first floor," Clardy said in a press release.http://www.oanow.com/news/auburn/cause-of-fire-at-lowder-hall-said-to-be-electrical/article_e707a958-3c63-11e6-95ab-d7958b31fb3a.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 What happened?A fire broke out on the 1st floor of Lowder Hall around 5 a.m. on Monday, June 27, 2016. Damage from the fire and smoke will keep the building closed until further notice. No one was injured. What started the fire? The Alabama Fire Marshal’s office has determined the likely cause of the fire was electrical and originated from a light and ballast on the first floor. What damage was caused by the fire? The fire was largely contained to the seating area in the corridor on the south end of the first floor. This area was severely burned. Extensive smoke damage occurred in the first floor hallways, and some of the classrooms on that floor. Minor smoke damage occurred elsewhere on the first floor and the floors above. Some smoke and water damage occurred on the ground floor. What is being done at this time to restore Lowder Hall? Several activities are underway. First, teams from Risk Management and Safety, OIT and Facilities Management are assessing the damage throughout the building to determine what it will take in the way of cleaning and repairs to restore the building. Concurrently with that work, a fire restoration contractor, BELFOR, is on site and conducting fire debris clean up on the first floor, as well as smoke residue clean up on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. The building continues to be ventilated and air scrubbers are being used to remove smoke particles out of the air in the building. What is the plan for restoring the building? Since the full extent of damage to the building is not known, the scope of work to restore the building is unknown at this time. However, a phased, triage-like approach will be used to determine: (1) the cleanup work needed to allow personnel back in some of the spaces in July 2016; (2) the clean-up work and minor repair work needed to have some of the impacted classrooms available by the start of the Fall 2016 semester; and (3) the major repair work to replace and rebuild the damaged areas in building (largely the first floor) which will be done during Fall/Spring 2016. When will classes resume in Lowder Hall? It is not known at this time. Classes resumed on Tuesday, June 28, in alternate locations. Students should have been contacted by their professor, and a document listing the classroom changes can be found at http://harbert.auburn.edu/binaries/documents/AlternateClassroomListForLowderHall.pdf. When will the Starbucks in Lowder re-open? Starbucks is closed until further notice, although efforts are being made to reopen as soon as possible. http://ocm.auburn.ed...ert/lowder.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,438 Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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