Bathroom fires plague Reimer

A series of three small fires were lit in men’s bathrooms in Reimer Residence Hall at different times this semester.

Each fire was lit in a trash can in the men’s bathrooms, the first occurring on the third floor on Jan. 24 at 4:45 AM, the second also occurring on the third floor on Mar. 21 at 1:30 AM, and the third occurring on the first floor on March 22 at 12:30 AM.

This information was announced to the university by Chief of Public Safety, John Dougherty via email on Mar. 23.

In an interview, Dougherty confirmed that there are leads in the case but could not comment due to the nature of the ongoing investigation.

According to Dougherty, the fires are not unprecedented, as there have been several accidental fires as well as one incident when a student lit a residence hall bulletin board on fire. In the case of the bulletin board, criminal charges were pressed. However, because the fires in Reimer occurred three times and were started in the middle of the night, the offense is much more severe.

Luckily, no serious damage was caused and no one was injured. In the email, Dougherty called the fires “serious incidents” and announced,

“A criminal investigation into a possible arson charge has been launched by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control; the Allegany County fire investigator and the Alfred Village Police.”

Although there have been rumors and speculation that the charges could be as severe as seventy-seven counts of attempted murder, The District Attorney, Keith Slep, stated,

“Depending on the circumstances and timing of the fires, as well as level of intent, the charges could range from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Class B Felony.”

A person is guilty of a Class B Felony, Arson in the Second Degree, when he intentionally damages property by starting a fire, or was present when a fire was intentionally lit. In New York, a Class B Felony can means one to three years in state prison.

According to Dougherty, students are very concerned about the fires, but parental concern is even more prominent.

In response to the incident, Residence Life and the Office of Public Safety have been patrolling the building more frequently.

“The Reimer Residence Life staff, under the capable and unflappable direction of RD Brandon Parrish, have served the Reimer community exceptionally well throughout this entire ordeal.” Director of Residence Life Brenda Porter said when asked about the fires.

And it would appear that Reimer residents agreed.

“I still feel safe in Reimer, I don’t think it was a huge deal,” First year student Samuel Guy stated.

Another resident, Eric Teller, said “I don’t really think it was malicious, I think someone was probably just smoking in the bathroom and lit it by accident.”

If you have any information about the fires, please contact the Office of Public Safety or use AU Report it on the My.Alfred.edu website.

Campus officials and the police are actively searching for the perpetrator, and any information is helpful.