Deadly Apartment Fires Prompt Prevention Campaign
Three-part plan calls for immediate inspections, discussions, and Web site
In the wake of two deadly off-campus fires in student-occupied apartments,
On Sunday, Elmore and University President Robert A. Brown sent an e-mail message to all students, reporting on the death of Derek Crowl, a 19-year-old student from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania who was visiting friends at an apartment at 49 St. Mary’s St., in Brookline. Crowl died when an early-morning fire swept through the third floor apartment.
“Our campus has experienced too many tragedies of late,” wrote Brown and Elmore. “It’s true that the fires were accidental, but it is important that we not retreat to business-as-usual when it comes to matters of personal safety.”
Elmore told BU Today that his staff had spent much of the last three weeks helping students who were affected by the first fire to cope. “What we need to do going forward,” he said, “is get students to start asking the questions that should be asked when they decide to set up their own household so we know they have the knowledge they need to live safely. There are certain questions that they should always know the answers to wherever they are. They need to know, ‘How do I get in and out of a place? Where do I go for help if something goes wrong?’”
Elmore said he would make special efforts to reach students living off campus and encourage them to talk to each other and make sure they get information they need to live safely. Those efforts, he said, would include a new Web site with information about fire safety and prevention.
Elmore said his office had provided all of the 19 students who had been displaced by the St. Mary’s Street fire with temporary lodgings, and was working to find permanent housing.
University officials said counseling services are available through the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at Student Health Services. Students may speak with a member of the counseling staff by calling 617-353-3569 or by going to
Art Jahnke can be reached at jahnke@bu.edu.