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Page 33 text:
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The administration and students were quick to point out that Thurston was notorious for false alarms in the wee hours of the morning. A former resident of Thurston said, “In Thurston you learn to live with the fact that some weirdo will pull an alarm at 2:05. 3:05 and 4:05: after the first bell you just roll over and go back to sleep - if that ' s what you were doing. During the year it became common practice not to leave the building until fire engines appeared on the scene, signifying that a real” fire could be in progress. Many of the news wire services re- ported the fire had occurred in a G.W.U. dormitory” and concerned parents and friends began calling to make sure their loved ones were safe. Signs were posted in Thurston hails asking residents to call home and tell relatives they were okay. Resident Assistants (RA’s) com- mended students for their brave and heroic behavior during the panic strick- en moments, Although students were concerned for their lives they were also worried about their friends. There were many stories of neighbors knocking on doors making sure everyone made it to saftey. People were yelling up to students in fifth floor windows telling them not to jump because firemen were coming to each room with gas masks. The Hatchet also praised the D.C. firemen who acted courageously con- sidering they have previously re- sponded to false alarms throughout the semester. Students cleared out of the building because of the memories, tension and the need to study for up-coming finals. Except for a few persons, the residents of the badly damaged fifth floor did not return for the remainder of the semester. According to The Hatchet one victim said, “I never want to live in that building again. It ' s so unsafe.” The Hatchet quoted one student as saying There’s no way I ' ll move back into Thurston. My parents are coming down to get me this afternoon. I guess I ' ll be coming back for finals. People have become more saftey conscious, one resident said, “they now know the correct procedures to take during a fire. Yet, the day after the fire someone accidentally started a fire in the trash shute. Surely, many hearts started to pound quickiy when the alarm bells rang. Lisa Garrtgan Features 29
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Page 32 text:
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Thurston Fire It made the front page of The Washington Post and The Star. It made the CBS Evening News. It made the fourth page of The New York Times. The fire at 3:4 5 am on the fifth floor of the freshmen dormitory put G.W.U. under the national spotlight. Nine students were seriously injured in the April I Pth fire in Thurston Hall. One was hospitalized with severe back injuries after she jumped out of a fifth floor window, Several students were admitted to local hospitals with sec- ond and third degree burns on their hands and feet. Most of the 900 residents re- mained. as one evacuee said, cool, calm and collected when they found out this was a real fire and not just another false alarm. However, two roommates on the eighth floor each sleeping in separate closets learned about the fire the fol- lowing morning, despite the pounding of three people on their door. The Hatchet reported one roommate said. We slept through half of the drills {that have occurred this year) and heard about them the next morning.” The students who did leave the building said they did not hear the fire alarm. The alarm failed to work after the first 30-60 seconds. The adminis- tration was blamed for skimping on the installation of the alarm wiring sys- tem. The Hatchet reported that Thurston lacked a back-up warning system because a D.C. Electrical Code passed in 1971 requiring all new build- ings to have back-up systems was not retroactive. ’8 Feature-
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