Fire in Village Men’s restroom

Sienna Jackson / Roundup

 

A large boom rocked the men’s bathroom of the Village 8200 building, caused by a trashcan fire, according to Sheriff and Fire Department officials. No injuries have been reported.

The fire occurred at roughly 12:25 p.m., while classes were in session. The fire alarm on the outer wall of Village 8300 began to sound moments later.

Many of the classes adjacent to the restroom evacuated as the alarm sounded.

“We didn’t see flames, the plastic bag inside the trashcan was melted,” said Justin Ramos, a Sheriff’s security officer who was called to the scene in response to the alarm.

When officers arrived on the scene, water flooded from the bathroom from the automatic sprinkler system. Water rushed down the steps from the building, flooding the pavement between 8200 and the PACE/HONORS building.

A crowd of students and teachers stood around the growing pool of water as three Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters examined the flooded room.

Neither Sheriff’s nor LAFD officials know what caused the fire, the contents of the trashcan left no evidence. It is alleged by officials that a lit cigarette is the most likely explanation.

“We won’t ever know what was in there, unless somebody comes forward,” said Mike Shultz, another Sheriff’s security officer.

Jennifer Penton, a full-time professor of cinema, was in the middle of teaching a Final Cut Pro class when the alarm sounded. Her class evacuated from Village 8300.

One of her students, Melissa Bruner, a 23-year-old child development major, smelt the burning plastic.

“It was this really nasty smell, like rubber or gas,” said Bruner.

A campus plumber shut off the sprinklers at around 12:40, and the alarm stopped ringing 10 minutes later.