A house fire at 416 Monroe Lane early yesterday morning left one student in critical condition and 11 others temporarily homeless.
Britt Grimm, Charlottesville Fire Department battalion chief, estimated $100,000 in damage occurred to the students' belongings and the property, managed by CBS Rentals. Officials plan to board up the house indefinitely.
Grimm said the fire, still of undetermined origin, began at 5:42 a.m. on the left side of the first floor. Firefighters arrived on the scene five minutes later, shortly before the fire began spreading to other parts of the building, eventually filling the second floor. By 9 a.m. the fire was mostly extinguished, though a few of the more than 40 firefighters who responded to the scene remained until late in the afternoon.
Seven of the 12 residents were home at the time of the fire. Two residents were treated and released for smoke inhalation at the University Hospital yesterday morning.
One occupant, College student Austin Eickman, is in critical condition at the University Hospital, according to hospital spokesperson Lisa Gilliam.
Ryan Deloney, a fourth-year College student and a resident of the house, said he awoke early in the morning to the smell of smoke and the sound of his housemates yelling. As he opened his door to see what was happening, heat and smoke knocked him back.
Deloney said his first reaction was to put on his pants and jacket. Then he picked up the cage containing his pet rabbit. When he realized the cage was too large to carry, he grabbed the rabbit out of the cage, tucked her safely underneath his arm and ran down the stairs.
"I was standing outside, freezing, with no shoes, no shirt, wearing just a jacket and pants and holding my rabbit," Deloney recalled.
Deloney's neighbors in the Monroe Language House also found themselves out in the cold when smoke from the fire entered the ventilation system of the University property, triggering smoke alarms and resulting in evacuation of the building around 6:30 a.m. Students were allowed to return to their rooms a half hour later when officials determined the fire had not spread to the dormitory. No other buildings were evacuated.
Staff members at the Student Health Center across the street said the fire did not disrupt their operations, although large amounts of smoke had begun to spread from the source of the flames.
The seven men that lived on the first and second floors are all ROTC members.
Fourth-year College student Tom Furman, one of the residents, said the mens' ROTC background probably helped them in the emergency situation.
"Elements of our training that helped were low-crawling, quick thinking and buddy-care, making sure everyone got out okay," Furman said. "There was no way we could save the house -- all we could do was save each other."
Several of the residents were able to salvage only a few clothes and personal effects. Further away from the origin of the fire, less damage was done to the residents' belongings.
Third-year College student Tim Farwell said his possessions were mostly water-logged with some smoke damage.
Karen Deloney, Ryan Deloney's mother, said she received a call from Ryan early Tuesday morning and rushed to Charlottesville from her home in Gainesville.
"Now we have to find places for them to stay so that they can return to classes," she said.
Deloney added she was grateful to fraternities and the Red Cross for helping the displaced residents deal with their immediate needs.
John Furman, Tom Furman's father, came to Charlottesville from Fairfax Station immediately after receiving a call from his son. While acknowledging the tragedy, John Furman described the incident as being one of life's many challenges.
"As long as they're okay, the rest of it is just stuff," he said.
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