By Angela Kuharski

Staff writer

Two trash-can fires early Sunday morning in the basement of Dowling Residence Hall have been declared arson by the St. Paul Fire Department. The two fires caused an estimated $20,000 to $40,000 in damage.

ìBecause this makes it a crime scene, the Fire Department has turned it over to St. Paul police,î said Michael Barrett, Public Safety and Parking Services manager of investigations. Barrett was meeting with the the St. Paul arson investigator this week to tell him what he knew about the incident.

A $2,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for the two fires.

ìI encourage everyone to call and report any suspicious information,î Barrett said. ìEven if it doesnít seem relevant, let me know. It might be a piece of the puzzle that Iím missing.î

Barrett said he is investigating the night access logs and card readers, and any suspicious people who were seen in the surrounding area.

ìThere were several males in the building after visiting hours,î Barrett said. ìBut we do have two men who were seen near the area of the fire within minutes of the alarm.î

Junior Cammy Monnens, who lives in the basement of Dowling Hall, said her friend, who asked not to be identified, saw a suspicious man lurking around the basement of Dowling just before the time of the fire.

ìShe said she saw a man walking around down here at around 3:30 a.m.,î Monnens said. ìShe told him that he wasnít supposed to be here because it was after hours, but he didnít respond. She went back to her room to brush her teeth and the alarm went off right away.î

Dowling Hall Director Ann Budig was working night access when the fire was reported at 3:52 a.m.

ìI saw nothing and smelt nothing when I left my office here at 3:15 a.m,î Budig said. ìSo it must have happened after that.î

Because the fires are under investigation, Budig could not comment on any specifics about residents who have come to her about possible suspects.

The two fires were found in the Dowling Hall laundry room and the basement elevator lobby. Four St. Paul fire trucks responded to the fires.

ìAs soon as the heat sensors went off, all the magnetic doors in Dowling closed automatically,î Barrett said. ìAs firefighters entered the laundry room through an interior door, they found the room completely engulfed in smoke. They quickly extinguished the two fires.î

Barrett said the insurance company representing the university has walked through the laundry room and estimated the damage of the fires, with the final figure depending on the need to replace washers and dryers.

ìThe cleanup has begun,î Barrett said. ìIt will be about 10 days to two weeks until the room is fully functional.î

An estimated 200 Dowling Hall residents were evacuated from the building, Budig said.

Freshman Liz Waller asked why students were not allowed back into the building until more than two hours later.

ìPeople were getting really frustrated that they could not go back to bed,î Waller said. ìI donít understand why the upper floors of Dowling could not go back in if the fire was contained in the laundry room.î

Budig said many conditions kept Dowling residents in Koch Commons for so long.

ìThere were reasons behind our madness,î Budig said. ìThe fire burnt through the suspended ceiling in the laundry room, causing damage to some pipes. We had to check the condition of the pipes with the physical plant to make sure that students were safe when they went back into the building. We also had to check electrical lines to make sure it wasnít an electrical fire, which could have traveled through the building and come out wherever.î

Budig said they spent significant time ventilating the building because the fire caused such serious smoke damage.

ìThe alarm went off for an hour, so we had to silence it,î Budig said. ìWe couldnít reset the alarm until later that morning because the smoke was so bad.î

Monnens said she had to leave her window open and her fans on all night to air out her room.

She said it was a long night, but it was better to play it safe.

ìI had to wake up at 8 a.m. to go to work that morning, so I was going on three hours of sleep,î Monnens said. ìIt wasnít fun having to stay out there for two hours, but I know that we had to for our safety.î

Freshman Teressa Hagen said she appreciated how Residence Life took care of the situation.

ìI think the RA staff and Ann Budig did an exceptional job informing students about what was going on,î Hagen said. ìEveryone was really crabby, but given the circumstances, they handled it very well.î

Sophomore Pam Radel said she is concerned for her safety knowing that someone was able to get into the dorm during non-visiting hours.

ìSomeone purposely set that fire and has not been convicted yet,î Radel said. ìI am concerned about my safety because these doors are basically open to the public. You have to use your card to get in, but obviously people are able to somehow get in after night access. I encourage everyone to lock their doors. You never know what could happen.î

Budig said all residents are allowed to use their cards to do laundry in any residence hall during regular hours.

ìWe are looking into the possibility of allowing Dowling residents access to Brady Hall from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m,î Budig said. ìBut I have heard that a lot of students are just going to Suds on Marshal instead.î

Budig said she is grateful for the safety of all her residents.

ìI just thank the Lord that no one was hurt,î Budig said. ìYes, we are inconvenienced with not having a laundry room, but we can live with that. At least it happened where it was self-contained and didnít get out.î