A malfunctioning air conditioner caught fire Sunday on the fifth floor of Cresswell Hall on Mississippi State University’s campus, displacing roughly 30 students.
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said an air conditioning unit in a restroom at the residence hall began smoking, but it was not sufficient enough to engage the fire suppression system.
The university has temporarily relocated the displaced students to a local hotel. Salter said he believes the repairs should be finished in about a week, and students can return to the residence hall.
While firetrucks appeared on campus after the incident occurred, Salter said the event was far smaller than it appeared. MSU had no prior knowledge this air conditioning would be problematic and no reason to believe it would malfunction, he said.
“Because the fire suppression system didn’t engage, and we don’t have water damage to deal with, now we just have to clean up the smoke and get the air quality where it needs to be and generally make sure everything is up to standard,” Salter said.
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