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

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

Fire in an off-campus house in Clarion, Pennsylvania, kills freshman

Fourteen people across the nation have been killed in student-related fires this academic year.

BELCHERTOWN, Mass., January 2, 2008 — A freshman attending Clarion University was killed in an off-campus house fire on December 29, 2007. The student, Bethany Marie Smith, 18, lived in her parent’s home in Clarion, Pennsylvania, while attending Clarion University.

According to Clarion University spokesperson Ron Wilshire, the building was a mobile home occupied by Smith, her parents and brother. Her family was able to escape from the fire which was reported at 4:50 a.m. The cause of the fire is unreported as of this time.

This tragedy brings the total number of student-related fire deaths for the 2007-2008 academic year to 14 in only the first semester. The total for the 2006-2007 academic year was 20 fire deaths, which is the highest one on record since 1999.

Campus Firewatch has identified 126 student-related fire deaths across the nation from 1999 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

These tragedies demonstrate 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, a compilation of these fires and a map of the locations 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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