A fire broke out in an unoccupied lab in Remsen Building, a building in the Geisel School of Medicine, early on Sunday morning. The building is temporarily closed for repair from smoke and water damage, according to a College press release.
According to a press release from Hanover fire chief Martin McMillan, the fire department was dispatched at 7:10 a.m. in response to an automated fire and waterflow alarm on the seventh floor of Remsen. The fire department arrived at the site at 7:15 a.m.
“The fire was quickly extinguished, however the lab sustained significant smoke and water damage,” McMillan wrote.
Upon arrival, the alarm was upgraded to a “structure fire assignment,” meaning the fire involved structural components of the building. When the firefighters located the source of the fire in the lab, they encountered “near zero visibility conditions” and several sprinklers were triggered, McMillan wrote.
No civilians or firefighters were injured at the site and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Hanover firefighters were assisted by members of the Lebanon, Hartford, Canaan, Norwich and Lyme fire departments.
According to the College, Geisel Dean Duane Compton’s office emailed Geisel faculty, staff and students to alert them that the building was closed because of the fire. Vail Building, which is adjoined to Remsen, as well as the adjacent Kellogg Hall will reopen on Monday. These buildings were also closed briefly on Sunday to assess potential damage.
