Contact: Ed Comeau, Publisher
Campus Firewatch
www.campus-firewatch.com

413-323-6002 (tel)
413-896-5718 (cell)
ecomeau@campus-firewatch.com

Seven students killed in off-campus beach house fire

Most fatal fire recorded in seven years; North Carolina leads the nation in student-related fire deaths

BELCHERTOWN, Mass., October 29, 2007 — A fire early yesterday morning in an off-campus beach house claimed the life of seven students, six from the University of South Carolina and one from Clemson University. This brings the total number of student fire deaths for the 2007-2008 academic year to 9 in only the first three months of the year.

This is the most fatal fire recorded by Campus Firewatch and North Carolina now leads the nation in student-related fatalities with 17 deaths since January 2000. Campus Firewatch has identified 121 student-related fire deaths across the nation with 83 percent of them occurring in off-campus housing, which is where more than two-thirds of the students live, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Common factors in a number of these fires include:

• Lack of automatic fire sprinkler system
• Missing or disabled smoke alarms
• Careless disposal of smoking materials
• Impaired judgment from alcohol consumption

This tragedy demonstrates the importance of knowing how to prevent a fire and what to do if one breaks out, not matter where you may be.

A detailed information sheet on campus-related fires and a compilation of the fatal fires can be downloaded from the RESOURCE page of Campus Firewatch at www.campus-firewatch.com.

Campus Firewatch, in publication since 2000, is a monthly electronic newsletter focusing on campus fire safety.For more information, visit our website at www.campus-firewatch.com.

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