OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - In a story Feb. 27 about a fire at an apartment building for University of Nebraska students, The Associated Press reported erroneously that students were allowed to retrieve items from the third floor. Students were only allowed to retrieve items from the first and second floors.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Investigators: Cigarette caused Omaha dorm fire
Fire investigators say discarded cigarette led to blaze that gutted much of Omaha college dorm
By MARGERY A. BECK
Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A discarded cigarette on an outdoor balcony led to the blaze that gutted much of a University of Nebraska at Omaha student apartment building, investigators with the Omaha Fire Department said Thursday.
The fire Wednesday afternoon at the Scott Village student housing complex destroyed the roof and third floor of the three-story building that houses 50 students. No students were injured. One firefighter suffered a leg injury and was treated at a hospital.
The apartments are made up of four-bedroom units, each with a full kitchen.
Firefighters had a difficult time controlling the blaze, which was whipped by high winds. The building’s sprinkler system worked properly, officials said, but wind gusts of up to 25 mph drove the flames into the building’s attic, which was not equipped with sprinklers.
Investigators said the fire started on a second-floor balcony of the building, where smoking is banned. University policy allows smoking on campus, but only outdoors and at least 10 feet from any building entrance.
Asked whether any students who live in the apartment where the fire started would be disciplined or held financially responsible for the damage, UNO spokeswoman Erin Owen said the school hadn’t yet addressed that.
“It’s early; I don’t think we’re they’re yet,” Owen said. “Right now, we’re just focused on getting our students taken care of and making sure they’re secure.”
Owen said school officials did not yet have a damage estimate for the building or know when it would be rebuilt and open to students.
After officials declared the building safe enough to enter, UNO officials on Thursday allowed students who lived on the first and second floors to retrieve personal items. A meeting for displaced students, their families and UNO officials Thursday night was closed to reporters, with UNO officials citing student privacy.
Some displaced students will move back in with parents who live in the area, said UNO spokesman Charley Reed, while others will be put in hotels and available rooms on campus.
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