A closet fire in a Westmont College residence hall left some 200 students without living quarters Monday night.
At about 5:40 p.m., a small fire broke out in a storage closet in Page Hall, where roughly half of Westmont’s freshmen live, according to Scott Craig, Westmont’s manager of media relations.
When crews from the Montecito Fire Protection District arrive on scene, they found light smoke coming from the three-story dormitory, said fire Battalion Chief Travis Ederer.
A second alarm was called due to “the large life hazard,” Ederer said.
One student suffered minor burn injuries on his feet and was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Craig said. Details on his condition were not available.
No student rooms were damaged by the fire, which was on the second floor and was quickly contained, Craig said.
However, “power is out at Page Hall, and due to concerns about possible electrical problems and smoke, the residents will stay in alternative housing this evening,” Craig said.
The American Red Cross was assisting the college in setting up cots for displaced students in Murchison Gym.
Some were also staying with fellow students or Westmont faculty and staff, Craig said.
Assisting on the incident were personnel from the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and American Medical Response.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.