2 minute read
Mystery fire in Village restroom stirs curiosity
Sienna Jackson/ Roundup
A large boom caused by a trashcan fire rocked the men’s bathroom of the Village 8200 building Friday, according to sheriffs and Los Angeles Fire Department officials.
The fire occurred at roughly 12:25 p.m. while classes were in session, but no injuries have been reported.
The fire alarm on the outer wall of Village 8300 began to sound moments later, causing many of the classes adjacent to the restroom to evacuate.
“We didn’t see flames, the plastic bag inside the trashcan was melted,” said Justin Ramos, a security officer who was called to the scene in response to the alarm.
When officers arrived on the scene, water flooded from the bathroom’s automatic sprinkler system. Neither sheriffs nor LAFD officials know what caused the fire.
However, 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 security officer.
Jennifer Penton, a full-time professor of cinema, was in the middle of teaching when the alarm sounded, and her class evacuated from Village 8300.
One of her students, Melissa Bruner, a child development major, smelled the burning plastic.
“It was this really nasty smell, like rubber or gas,” said Bruner.
A campus plumber shut off the sprinklers around 12:40 p.m., and the alarm stopped ringing 10 minutes later.
