Tilton Hall was evacuated at 8 p.m. yesterday evening, following a boiler alarm. An automatic alarm notified the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and the Somerville Fire Department. Freshman Andr?©s Roque also pulled the fire alarm after seeing black smoke.
Sophomore Shanti Sattler was the Resident Assistant (RA) on duty at the time of the incident. Sattler and TUPD officer John Murphy explained that a furnace had malfunctioned, but that there were no flames. The University's janitorial and maintenance service, OneSource, and Facilities immediately began repairs.
"The same thing happened last year," Sattler said. "It was just smoke."
Residents of Tilton have routinely complained about the high heat setting and now wonder if the malfunction is related to how much energy is used. Freshman Tilton resident Laura Willcox hoped that the incident will call attention to how hot the dorm is.
"It is a blistering inferno in Tilton," she said. "This will hopefully clue them in [so they] will turn down the heat."
Freshman Megan Carter, another Tilton resident, agrees. "I think it's ridiculous that when it's 20 degrees outside we're wearing shorts and T-shirts [in Tilton]. It's a waste of money - it's a waste of electricity and energy."
Nevertheless, Sattler said that officials "don't think it has anything to do with the fact that things are so hot in here."
Officer Murphy described a scene with a "medium" smoke level, but it was enough to cause concern among students.
"When I first saw the amount of smoke, I thought it would be really serious," said freshman Maggie Brunner. "However, we got back in the dorm in 30 minutes."
"I was in my room and I heard the fire alarm go off," freshman Samuel Lee said. "Everybody was as confused as I was." Lee added that, upon leaving the building, he saw "a lot" of black smoke rising from the top of Tilton.
There were no injuries or damage to the dorm reported. Students evacuated the building upon hearing the main smoke detectors. TUPD officers were on the scene before the evacuation was complete.
