A fire that occurred on the eighth floor of Ida Sproul Hall in Unit 3 on Thursday evening has displaced many residents from their rooms, causing distress for affected residents one week before campus final exams.

UCPD first received a call reporting the fire about 8:18 p.m. Thursday, according to UCPD spokesperson Sgt. Sabrina Reich, and “flames were seen upon arrival.”

The fire began in and was contained to a single room — though other rooms in the hall received water damage, according to campus freshman and eighth floor resident Laura Huynh. Multiple eighth floor residents said that access to their rooms is currently being limited, while others have been allowed back into their rooms.

Huynh added that most displaced residents she has spoken to have been residing with friends in apartments or other campus dormitories since the fire.

“If there’s one time this shouldn’t have happened, it’s right now. I was probably one of the least affected. The school has been sort of good — (the school) sent out emails to all our professor saying students have been displaced (and) they gave us extensions,” said Gio Bonora Groome, a campus first-year and eighth floor resident. “I know people whose notes were destroyed — I don’t really know how that’s working out for them.”

Reich said the UC fire marshall and UCPD investigators are continuing to investigate the scene as a possible arson incident. The investigation is still evaluating how the fire may have originated, according to Reich, but she noted that the fire may have originated from a trash can in the room. Residents were unsure as to the cause of the fire when inquired.

Ankit Hirpara, a campus freshman and resident of the room where the fire originated, stated that he received a call from his friend about 8:12 p.m. informing him that his room’s smoke detector had gone off while he was away from his room. When he returned to his room, he found the room ablaze with a fire that was “five feet tall”.

Huynh noted many of her personal belongings on her room’s floor were damaged by water. She also said her room is not currently suited to regular living conditions due to large heaters that have been placed in the middle of the room and that she is “floating around” on a daily basis to find friends that can accommodate her for housing.

“The fact that the university was able to hire so many police officers earlier that day and not help us all that much really shows the disconnect,” said Elsa Whyte, an eighth floor resident whose room is located next door to the room where the fire originated.

Various lounges in Ida Sproul Hall have been converted into rooms with cots to accommodate displaced residents, according to multiple residents. Residents were also offered emergency loans to replace damaged items and $25 in laundry credit.

Glenn Parham, a campus freshman and eighth floor resident, said the Unit 3 Residential Hall staff have been “really helpful,” but noted a couple frustrations in reference to accommodations being provided to affected students. Parham said that the timeline for residents to be able to move back into rooms was unclear.

“I just feel this is just another example of admin not prioritizing the wellness of the students … we weren’t really assured housing … they’re giving us cots. They’re pretending they’re offering a service. This is the bare minimum,” Parham said. “We see … a facade of prioritizing student health and life, but in reality, it’s all talk. If they really prioritized our well-being, we would not be sleeping on cots provided by American Red Cross.”

Contact Bobby Lee and Audrey McNamara at [email protected].

Correction(s):

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Laura Huynh said sprinklers caused water damage in other rooms on the eighth floor. In fact, sprinklers did not cause the water damage in other rooms.