WBZ-TV
Fire damaged Greeley Hall at Southern New Hampshire University.
Fire damaged Greeley Hall at Southern New Hampshire University.
Fire damaged Greeley Hall at Southern New Hampshire University.
Fire damaged Greeley Hall at Southern New Hampshire University.
Fire damaged Greeley Hall at Southern New Hampshire University.

No one injured when fire damages residence hall at Southern New Hampshire University

Nov. 20, 2017
University says 51 students have been displaced from Greeley Hall on the Manchester campus.

No one was hurt, but officials estimated a two-alarm fire caused about $500,000 in damage to a three-story, 12-unit residence hall at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.

The Manchester Union-Leader reports that six of the 12 units in Greeley Hall sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage in the Saturday blaze.

Officials said the hall was fully occupied at the time of the fire, but everyone was safely evacuated.

Fire crews had to "chase" the flames through the structure as the blaze traveled through "void space between each floor."

"This fire was extremely labor intensive due to the size and construction of the building," District Fire Chief Hank Martineau said in a news release."Firefighters were forced to chase the fire throughout the northern half of the dormitory."

The university issued a statement saying an electrical problem appeared to be the cause of the fire.

University President Paul LeBlanc says the school will relocate all 51 Greeley Hall residents in other campus housing.

"It's well past any state of being able to put people back in there," LeBlanc said of Greeley Hall. "That was immediately apparent."

He added that Greeley Hall was already scheduled to be torn down after the end of the school year as the university replaces student housing built in the late 1970s with new facilities.

The building is in a complex of residence halls on the northwestern end of the campus.

Sponsored Recommendations

How to design flexible learning spaces that teachers love and use

Unlock the potential of flexible learning spaces with expert guidance from school districts and educational furniture providers. Discover how to seamlessly integrate adaptive ...

Blurring the Lines in Education Design: K–12 to Higher Ed to Corporate America

Discover the seamless integration of educational and corporate design principles, shaping tomorrow's leaders from kindergarten to boardroom. Explore innovative classroom layouts...

Room to Learn: Furniture Solutions for Education

Preparing students for the future. Utilizing our experience in the education market, we offer a dynamic selection of products that pair technology with furniture to help stimulate...

Transforming Education: A Case Study in Progressive Classroom Design

Discover how Workspace Interiors and the Baldwin School District reshaped learning environments in Long Island, New York, creating pedagogically responsive spaces that foster ...