FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/9/99

CONTACT:
Dave Disch
Director of College Relations
Greenville College
(618) 664-2800, ext. 4535

At approximately 11:45 a.m. today (Tuesday) the Greenville Fire Department responded to a report of smoke inside Tenney Hall on the campus of Greenville College. Firemen quickly identified and contained the source of the smoke, an electrical heating unit in the southwest pod on the second floor. No one was in the building at the time. A student returning to the dorm around 11:30 noticed a haze on the second floor and called the Fire Department.

The heating unit that caused the incident is located in an enclosed area above a closet in one of the rooms. Wiring within the unit apparently became exposed and "arced," scorching some 2x4s and causing some insulation to smoulder, which produced the smoke. The hot spot had not yet ignited.

Coincidentally, a local electrical contractor, Z & Z Electric, was on campus at the time of the incident conducting a facilities audit that had been authorized earlier by the Board of Trustees. Z & Z is now actively assisting campus officials with immediate and thorough checks of the wiring in all other heating and air-conditioning units in Tenney Hall.

There was no structural damage to the building, according to Rex Catron, assistant vice president for business affairs. Minor smoke damage was limited to a three-room area, and slight water damage was contained to one room. Restoration of the three student rooms affected is expected to involve cleaning the carpets, laundering linens, curtains, and clothing, and cleaning the walls and ceiling. Some personal property of the students may also have been damaged. The four students from the affected rooms are being relocated this evening to other rooms within Tenney Hall.

Catron said the college may not even file a claim on the damages with its insurance company because the repairs and clean-up costs are not expected to exceed the $1,000 deductible.

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