Two fires in the past four days have sparked Northeastern University’s Public Safety division to start an investigation into potential cases of arson.
“The investigation is intense today and our detectives are making some progress,” said Associate Director of Public Safety James Ferrier. “They have some leads.”
The first fire, last Saturday, started at 3:30 a.m. when a flyer hanging on the wall on the third floor of White Hall was lit on fire. The blaze triggered the fire alarm in the building and forced residents to evacuate, Ferrier said.
The second fire under investigation happened early Tuesday morning on the east side of Speare Hall. At around 4 a.m., a poster on a bulletin board between rooms 211 and 213 in the residence hall was lit on fire setting off smoke detectors. The Boston Fire Department ordered the building evacuated until the arson squad arrived and investigated. Residents were not let back into the building until about an hour after the evacuation, Ferrier said.
“Anytime there’s a fire, we investigate. Unless we know the source right away, we always investigate,” Lieutenant Richard Powers of the BFD said.
In a letter addressed to Resident Assistants on Tuesday, the Assistant Director for Residence Life Michael Polcari asked for the temporary removal of all postings, such as fliers, announcements or white erase boards, before 10 p.m. Tuesday. They won’t be allowed back up until further notice.
“The BFD has now banned all postings in Speare Hall that are not posted behind glass bulletin boards, with the exception of the door name tags,” the letter states.
“This is a life safety issue, it is not funny,” Ferrier said.
Public Safety has sent an appeal to residents in both buildings urging any witnesses of either fire to come forward with information about their origins.
The Northeastern Police believe that there are residents that have information about the fires in Speare and White Halls. They are interested in hearing about any information anyone may have pertaining to the fires. You may send an e-mail to NUPD anonymously, if desired, through their Web site at publicsafety.neu.edu or leave a message at (617) 373-5402.
