As many of you know, there was a fire in Geisel’s Remsen building on the Hanover campus today.
The fire was located in a mechanical room on the 8th floor and was rapidly extinguished by sprinklers and personnel from the Hanover Fire Department who responded immediately.
Most importantly, nobody was injured in the fire.
Fire damage was limited to the mechanical room where it occurred, and water has moved throughout the building. Thanks to the very quick response by HFD personnel, Geisel facilities personnel, and Dartmouth FO&M personnel the water was largely contained, and the overall damage is far less than what we experienced in the previous fire in February 2023.
An investigation of the cause of the fire is ongoing by HFD.
All safety systems have been restored to the building, which has full power, and the air handling system is working to clear residual smoke.
For now, the Remsen building will remain closed to all personnel. Dartmouth Safety & Security staff is currently on site if you wish to retrieve personal belongings. ServePro has been contacted and they will begin cleaning up this afternoon and we anticipate they will be onsite through the weekend to address residual water issues on multiple floors.
Barring unforeseen events, we anticipate the building to be reopen 8 AM on Monday.
Vail building, which was undamaged, remains open and accessible to everyone at this time.
Please join me in thanking HFD for their quick response, and for the immediate response by DoSS, our facilities staff and the Dartmouth FO&M.
We appreciate that today’s fire is causing another disruption for many of the same people affected by the previous fire. Thank you for your patience as we work to restore full access to the building as rapidly and safely as possible.
Duane.