Dartmouth Dormitory Damaged by Fire Caused by Unattended Grill

We begin tonight with news out of the Upper Valley, as a fire earlier Saturday morning at a Dartmouth College dormitory left dozens of students displaced and two firefighters with minor injuries.

The Hanover Fire Department was alerted to the blaze shortly after midnight Saturday morning, and arrived on the scene to find the roof of the East Wheelock Street building engulfed in flames. According to a press release, students were already evacuating the building as crews arrived, though firefighters made rounds to all of Morton Hall’s rooms to ensure nobody was left behind.

It took crews from more than 10 towns from both New Hampshire and Vermont several hours to extinguish the blaze, which left two firefighter with minor injuries. The building remains uninhabitable according to the Dartmouth College student newspaper, leaving officials scrambling to find temporary housing for the approximately 70 students who resided in the dorm.

Investigators believe the blaze began as the result of an unattended hibachi-style grill.