Seven fire trucks and emergency management vehicles have congregated outside of the Nussbaum block this morning as smoke seeps out of the lower level. Nussbaum residents have been evacuated, though fire officials seem to be focusing their efforts on entering Community Food and Juice, where most of the smoke appears to be coming from.
UPDATE (12:50 p.m.): Housing has sent the an e-mail to Nussbaum residents apprising them of the fire’s impact on their residence. The e-mail is posted after the jump.
Tipster Beatrice Lee sends us the following photo of the situation, which we will bring you updates on as news warrants.
Dear Residents of 600 West 113th Street,
Unfortunately, there was a fire in Community Food and Juice this morning, Friday, April 24, 2009. At this time, we are not fully aware of the damage to the student rooms in 600 West 113th Street because the Fire Department is still working in the building. We have been informed there is smoke and water damage, as well as some broken flooring and windows. This is particularly the case on the 2nd floor of the building.
At this time, we are working with Facilities to prepare temporary rooms for any residents that will be displaced until repairs can be completed. After we are able to enter the building and determine the extent of the damage, we will be notifying residents that need to move to come to 125 Wallach for a temporary assignment. All residents of suites 2B and 2C should expect to move, and may come and wait in Wallach Lounge until temporary rooms are ready, once they have checked-in at 125 Wallach.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we complete the necessary repairs to the spaces affected in the building.
Regards,
Housing Services
26 Comments
@Resident of Nussbaum 2 Dear “Really?”,
…REALLY?! Is bitching on Bwog the best you can do? We were not even bitching in the first place, but simply releasing information and updates from what was clearly a first-hand voice. Isn’t that what Bwog is for? Come see floor 2 yourself, and tell me if you would not be upset about the situation. We did NOT sleep in our own room last night, and sure, dying of AIDS is probably quite a bit worse, but… what it all comes down to is… fuck you.
@haha a free meal in John Jay? Lol
@Floor 2 Resident So… Floor 2 is indeed in a bit of a mess… those of us in the C suite have been allowed to stay but it is indeed still quite smoky. Suite B was hit the worst and a few residents will probably not be able to move back in for the rest of the semester. I just wish that someone would cover my now quite large dry cleaning bill! It is going to take some HEAVY cleaning to rid my room of this smoky stench… This whole mess has been absolutely ridiculous… I had to spend three hours waiting in my pjs with only one contact in (as the other fell out as I was evacuating the building) and the compensation I received from Housing and Dining was… a free meal at John Jay! Super exciting.
On Community, I just talked to a woman there and she said that the fire started in the kitchen… and then got so out of hand that it got into the ventilation and into the walls… all of the kitchen equipment has to be replaced and so it probably won’t re-open for at least a month…
@Really? You can’t be THAT badly affected if you are spending your time whining on BWOG. Do you still have a home? Check. Were your things completely ruined? No. There are people that have it a lot worse than you in this world, so be grateful for something in your rotten entitled life!
@Cmon! Cmon! They didn’t say that they thought this was the worst thing in the world to happen. It sucks for them and they have a right to express it. If your building were on fire, would you sit and think “well I’m not dying of AIDS in Africa…”
@lol haha that was funny
@well I totally would think that (I swear I’m the kind of guy who thinks things like that to make every bad situation feel better). But that aside, I don’t understand why this kid is blaming Housing for not compensating him. It’s not Housing’s fault there was a fire and I don’t think Columbia is obligated to compensate you for time wasted by an accident. It’s not like they had you standing around for no reason, firefighters did their job then the building had to be inspected and examined for safety and insurance purposes. It’s not like they’re keeping you out for no reason. If anything, blame Community.
And this folks, on a side note, is what property insurance is for, hoopefully you guys/your parents have a policy that covers this damage.
@whattttt the fuck! you guys are such hypocrites! if you’re getting this pissed about the fact that people whose entire living situation got fucked up are upset about it then you would CLEARLY be pissed if you were in their place. yeah, maybe housing isn’t responsible for what happened, but being offered a free meal in john jay after that kind of ordeal is just fucking insulting.
@... have some sympathy
i think you would be in a bad mood too if you were in their situation
@nussbaum resident slept right through the entire episode.
@frightening Haha, what floor?
@i think community got what it deserved. i miss nacho’s!
@haha Bring back the Cho’s! Fuck this elitist arsonist diner.
@sad resident i live on floor 2… looks like im homeless now :(
@... so is community totally destroyed or something?
@Anonymous and was waling around in a bath robe for over an hour!
Now I’m wearing my guy-friend’s clothes -_-
But, we’re being allowed to come in now (3rd floor) and it seems that the 2nd floor is indeed ruined. There was soot and water damage everywhere and I’m sure we’ll all smell like smoke for a few days.
@Apathetic White Man I completely agree.
@alejandra Aponte does anyone know if they are letting people in… in refugeed in avery but i want to go put clothes on
@Angry Black Man I refuse to read spec unless it is in print. Thus, an can go into the bathroom, read it, and later wipe my ass with it when I’m done taking a doo doo. Hey, it’s better than that 1-ply stuff they give us.
@resident Supposedly the greatest damage is limited to the second floor, but students still aren’t allowed in. According to some snappily dressed insurance folks, we might be allowed to enter the dorm in an hour or two (or three…). Don’t know if we’ll be allowed to stay inside for an extended period of time, or if we’ll only be able to get stuff and then have to get out. Procedure might differ depending on your floor.
@Be sure to check out Spec’s coverage of this: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/04/24/breaking-fire-breaks-out-community-food-nussbaum-dorm-residents-evacuate
@hey hey hey Maybe there’s a pyromaniac afoot? First Hartley, now Community?
Perhaps the fire-starter hates a sense of belonging.
This is some deep shit, man.
@THat's what i was thinking too. It’s too much of a coincidence that two fires happened in such period of time… Maybe stress from finals?
@Reading Comprehension This was a restaurant-based fire. Nothing to do with students except ykow, our whole having-to-evacuate thing. Oy.
@Ghost of Nacho's Muhahahahaha!!!!
@Surfin' UWS Because we have people pulling that alarm once every two weeks and testing once a month I just stayed in bed for an extra 15 minutes when it started going off.
Only the smell of smoke and sirens got me to realize there was a fire.
Now my clothes are smoke-flavored and I’m probably homeless for the night (there was a lot of smoke!).