A buildup of creosote in the Samaritan House chimney caught fire on Sunday, forcing firemen and police to arrive on campus, and students to evacuate. Samaritan House is a Junior girls dorm on School Street. Nobody was hurt and neither the building nor personal possessions were damaged by the fire. Catherine Cleveland ’11, Shirley Guo ’11, Iris Meng Li ’08, the prefect, Christine Whalen ’11 and Marlys Edwards, Dean of Students and Samaritan House house counselor, were in the dorm when the chimney fire started. Edwards said that as she was lighting a fire in her fireplace, she quickly realized something was wrong. The fire “flamed up into the chimney and [lit] the creosote on fire,” said Edwards. She explained that she forgot to get the chimney cleaned this year, which led to the build-up of creosote, a flammable residue leftover from fireplace use. Thomas Conlon, Manager of the Public Safety Department, said that the fireplace would require further inspection before it can be used again. Edwards then proceeded to her door and yelled up the staircase for everyone to evacuate. After making sure all of the students were safely evacuated, Edwards led them to Clement House, a neighboring dorm. According to Edwards, the Andover Fire Department, the Andover Police Department and Phillips Academy Public Safety (PAPS) responded quickly and effectively. Edwards said that these agencies were “absolutely unbelievable” in responding to the situation and that the police were blocking off the street even before she knew what was going on. According to Deputy Al DelDotto at the Andover Fire Department, the Fire Department responded to a call at 1:21 p.m. from a nearby motorist, who reported seeing billowing smoke coming from Samaritan’s chimney. Unaware of the report, PAPS also contacted the Fire Department shortly after, said Conlon. The Fire Department knew exactly what had happened and helped explain the situation, said Edwards. “I was really surprised, scared, worried and confused [about the fire],” said Guo. Guo said that the fire alarms did not go off in the dorm, which made her especially nervous. Li, who was taking a nap at the time of the fire, was not as nervous because she figured the lack of response from the alarms suggested there was no danger. Edwards explained that the fire alarm was never set off because the fire was contained within the chimney. DelDotto assured that a more serious fire would have set off the alarm, which would have then notified the Fire Department automatically. Penny Joel, House Counselor in Clement House, took care of the girls while the fire department dealt with the chimney fire. Conlon said that the Fire Department used infrared thermal imagery to ensure there were no remaining hotspots in the house after the fire had been put out. The Fire Department also poured a chemical down the chimney to make sure the fire was completely extinguished. Both Edwards and the students were able to reenter and sleep in Samaritan House later that day. Edwards said, “As horrible as it is that this happened, I am grateful that everyone is safe . . . I am hoping to use this as a plea to everyone to make sure that every year they have their fireplace cleaned because it is so dangerous if you don’t.” According to DelDotto, chimney fires are fairly common throughout the United States. Conlon recommended getting chimneys cleaned before every heating season, in order to help prevent chimney fires. The last chimney fire on campus Conlon remembers occurred about 10 or 12 years ago.
