A house fire broke out in an off-campus apartment at 284 Ives Street Wednesday shortly before 1:00 a.m., wrote Deputy Chief of Police Paul Shanley in an email to The Herald. The apartment was occupied by graduate students who were not injured in the fire, though the house suffered minor damages, wrote Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald.
Both the Department of Public Safety and the Providence Fire Department responded to the scene, with Officer Ann Cunningham and Sergeant Brendan McGrath of DPS arriving first, Shanley wrote. The officers spoke with the affected students outside, then entered the residence to assist in the evacuations of the second and third floors, Shanley added.
While the Providence Fire Department took the lead in responding to the immediate fire, the two DPS officers remained with the students and provided assistance such as transportation and housing for the night, Shanley said.
“The department finds the actions of these two officers to be highly commendable, and (they are) an example of the Brown University Department of Public Safety’s strong commitment (to) providing the highest level of dedication and service to our community,” Shanley wrote.
In fire situations involving students, the University generally first addresses the immediate health and safety of those affected, Clark said. The University also provides any necessary support services for the students, covering basic needs such as clothing, housing and food and providing items integral to student life like laptops, cell phones and textbooks, he added.
The University also offers “counseling support to students, given that they are confronting a situation that can clearly be very challenging from an emotional standpoint,” Clark said.
University deans reached out to the students Wednesday to offer them these support services.
