A fire sent Southside residents out of their rooms Monday night. At least six emergency vehicles responded to the alarm which went off at 10:55.
Students were allowed back into the halls as of 11:50, although there were mixed messages about when students could reenter.
Smoke was seen in the hall in Anderson Hall 3 North just prior to the alarm, according to students who watched the trucks from outside the SIS Annex. The fire was caused by a lamp that was too close to a bed, according to students who lived near the site of the fire.
A resident assistant walked the crowd looking for the residents of room 368, which is considered to be the site of the fire. It is unknown if the residents were in the room just prior to the fire.
Sophomore Ben Mazur said there was white smoke in a room on the corner of the third floor facing the north side of campus.
"All you could see was white smoke and this sad little fan," Mazur said.
Later, the smoke cleared and water from sprinklers was visible on the window of the room. Sprinklers caused water damage on the second and third floors of the building. RAs, Aramark workers and some residents are helping to clean up the water.
Public Safety was unable to comment on the alarm, nor could any of the resident assistants.
Vehicles arrived from Engine companies 5, 12, 14, 20 and 31, as well as Rescue Squad 2. The vehicles included at least four ladder trucks and two smaller vehicles. Many of the vehicles left campus after 11:18.
Around 11:45, students were told that it would be an hour before they could reenter, yet the halls were reopened five minutes later. The change in time was caused by mixed messages between AU's Public Safety and the D.C. Fire Department.
