Dorm Fire Kills Seven at College

" . Outside today ' •».% Qixasional snow mixed with sleet or freezing rain tonight; temperatures mm rising into the 20s. Mixed precipitaUon ilj^- changing to rain Wednesday; highs in fhe 30s,Outlook: showers or flurries ending ' -/ ^ t ^ Thursday; fair Friday and Saturday. Mamh^iitr-—A City of Viltage Chof^ ||10HTEEN ' MfNCEfiWl, JOE5KOAY, OECifiMBBR isl 1«7 ^-’VOL. Xbva. N|. «2 Dorm fire kills seven at college PROVIDENCE, R.I. (UPI) - A four-alarm fire possibly caused by faulty Christmas lights or a hair dryer raged through part of a Providence Coilege dormitory before dawn today, killing seven coeds and injuring 15 others. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to go back in there,” said stu dent Suzanne Green of Lowell, Mass., who lived on the third floor of -f. the four-story red brick building. The school was ordered closed at noon, to reopen on Jan, 9. Final semester examinations Were to begin : 7-' on Wednesday with the 3,600 students /S* % beginning the Christmas holiday season next week. “We’re more concerned with the tragedy right now than examinations," said college spokesman Joseph McAleer. Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy went to the scene for a personal look at the dis aster and to talk with students. The fire broke out at 3 a.m. on the top floor of Aquinas Hall, which housed 300 students. It had no sprinklers or outside fire escapes, but recently had undergone fireproofing. Hundreds of blanket-covered coeds were driven into the 17 degree cold until they could be sheltered elsewhere. Snow covered the campus Rescue at fatal fire around the red brick building. Left, unidentified student shows fear and covers up from heavy smoke as she awaits Students from surrounding rescue in upper window of Aquinas Hall after fire broke out early today at Providence buildings helped get some of the (R.I.) College. Above, firefighter helps the woman down ladder after general alarm fire coeds out — breaking windows in some instances — and helped firemen swept the dorm. (Mike Delaney photo copyrighted by The Providence Journal Bulletin, via by hauling hoses, moving parked cars UPI) and raising ladders to young women screaming for help from upper win dows. "The fire doors kept the blaze from spreading beyond one corner of the Map error will change housing plans top floor,” said the Rev. Aloysius Begley, alumni chaplain at the By GREG PEARSON the location of the building or to alter "They feel they have made an right of first refusal on the parcel but "not the time to speak in favor or not Roman Catholic school. and ALICE EVANS the construction plans. error,” he said. is not expected to be interested in in favor of the retirement center.” Two young women died when they The problem concerning the south The state DOT official, who asked buying the land. Will the church be able to use its leaped from a fourth-floor window as Herald Reporters i side boundary of the proposed to remain nameless, said that the 'The applicants also could shift Hartford Road parking lot if the flames began to engulfed them. An error was made in the sur project was first mentioned at a Dec. state owns property in varying dis slightly the location of the housing center becomes a reality was one of Eyewitnesses said the two were veying of property for the proposed 5 public hearing on the proposal. tances north of the non-access line. project or reduce the size of the the concerns of Robert Von Deck, afraid to wait any longer for a ladder Wesley Retirement Center, and a Douglas Prior, a land surveyor The state-owned land extends from building to meet the distance who opposes the sale of the church to arrive. change in the plans for the 100-unit from Tolland, said that a non-access ten to 30 feet into the property that requirements, Kolasa said. He said land for the center. He cited the uses "Everyone on the ground was housing project for the elderly ap line bordering the Interstate highway had been considered part of the that this step might require another permitted on the tax-exempt retire yelling to them to stay calm." said parently will have to be made. 86 connector was used as the border project parcel by the applicants, he public hearing. ment center, which according to freshman Molly MeSague of Town The mistake was confirmed by of the project site. He said that the said. He was unsure whether the regulations “shall be devoted to send, Mass. “They broke the window both a state Department of Transpor actual boundary is only 15 feet from Kolasa said that the applicants purchase and addition of the property elderly or handicapped housing and with their fists. They waited til the tation official and attorney Renard the proposed three-story building could purchase the entire strip of would require another public related accessory uses. " This would fire was right behind them, then two Kolasa, who represents the site. land owned by the state. The strip hearing. Town Planner Alan Lamson prevent the church from using its jumped. A hook-and-ladder truck applicants for the proposed project. Zoning regulations would require extends the 800-foot length of the was pot available this morning to present parking lot, he said. rescued the third. " The project is planned for a site on ■ that the building be 45-feet from the proposed site. clarify the matter. Von Deck also felt the parking lot A dozen of the injured were the South United Methodist Church’s boundary. The applicants would have to buy Monday night, the congregation of is presently in violation. Records in hospitalized for burns and smoke in campus near the intersection of Attorney David Call, who only the strip that is in line with the South United Methodist Church voted the Planning Office show that no ap halation. Manchester’s Main Street and Hart represented a group opposed to the building, but it might be just as easy to extend the Wesley Retirement proval was given by the PZC or the The cause of the fire was under in ford Road. project, said that this factor alone to buy the entire 800-foot strip, which Center's option for purchasing the Zoning Board of Appeals for the lot. vestigation. City and state fire of The applicants for the project — should lead to denial of the project by is about nine-tenths of an acre, he proposed site for the center. Several other members of the con ficials refused comment. They were the church and Wesley Retirement the Planning and Zoning Commis said. The 68 to 54 vote approved exten gregation spoke both in favor and checking whether the fire was Center Inc. — have two paths they sion, which conducted the public The state official from DOT said ding the option, which was scheduled against approving the option. possibly caused by faulty Christmas can follow to correct the problem, hearing. The PZC would have to that he expects the state would be to expire Dec. 31, to Dec. 31, 1978. Jbe moderator said that when the lighting or a hair dryer. Kolasa said. One would be to grant a special exception to allow the willing to sell the parcel. The moderator, the Rev. Rene retirement center is approved by the "We share the deep sense of loss purchase property from the state and project to be built. “The reason we obtained it is Bideaux of Bolton, district PZC and comes back to the church to with the parents of the students who an application for such a purchase Kolasa said that the firm that did because it is of little use to anyone superintendent, told the congregation purchase the land, there will be died today, for we too mourn these has already been filed with the state, the surveying work for the project’s but the state,” he said. he would rule out of order any other many questions to be answered deaths within our college family." he said. The second would be to shift applicants has been contacted. The Town of Manchester has the point of discussion and that it was before the sale is completed. said the Rev. Thomas Peterson, college president, who was visibly shaken as he talked with reporters. Bodies of six victims were taken to Buckley steps down a temporary morgue set up in the campus chapel. A seventh victim, Today’s news summary identified as Jackie Botelho of from library board Bristol, R.I.. was dead on arrival at CAIRO, Egypt (UPI) - A 28- Security funding legislation for Roger Williams Hospital. WASHINGTON (UPI) - The By JUNE TOMPKINS animously approved. "We didn't even think there was a man Israeli delegation arrived in congressional passage. National Center for Health Heriilil Rt'porlrr Ruth Tucker was re-elected fire until we got into the stairwell. Cairo today for preparatory talks Statistics said today Hawaiians But a spokesman for Sen. secretary. with Egyptian leaders on ending William Roth, R-Del., author of After serving as chairman of the Then we saw the smoke. There were live longer than Americans living Other board appointments are as a lot of kids hanging from windows three decades of conflict in the the college tax credit proposal, Manchester library board for more in any other state. follows: Roger Bagley, chairman of and yelling and coming down Middle East. said not all details of such an than 25 years, William E. Buckley It said residents of the nation’s the personnel committee assisted by ladders.

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