Students return to Millbrook Square apartments

March 28, 2007 -- Nearly all of the 51 residents of Millbrook Building Two have returned to their apartments after a grease fire broke out in a kitchen about 1:40 p.m. March 24 forcing their evacuation. The only apartment still unoccupied is the one in which the fire occurred. That unit suffered major fire damage while other apartments in the building suffered mostly smoke damage.

The residents of units on the second and third floors were able to return to their apartments by Sunday evening and the residents of apartments on the first floor, where the fire started, were allowed to return to their apartments Monday evening.

"We had a terrific team approach led by Chief Don Strom and others on his staff, staff from Residential Life, the Insurance Department, Environmental Health and Safety, and Facilities Planning and Management," said Justin X. Carroll, assistant vice chancellor for students and director of residential life. "Everyone worked together to make this situation goes as well as it could."

Millbrook Two, which is part of the Millbrook Square Apartments located in the northwest corner of the Danforth Campus, houses mostly juniors and seniors in a series of apartments.

The Millbrook Two residents were placed in guest rooms Saturday night in the Olin School's Knight Center on campus; one resident was housed at the Cheshire Lodge several blocks from campus. First-floor residents of Millbrook Two remained at the Knight Center for Sunday night lodging.

The Clayton Fire Department coordinated the fire response, which included emergency crews and vehicles from six surrounding municipalities. There were no injuries to any residents; however a Washington University police officer was slightly injured when he broke glass to get to fire-fighting apparatus.

The Washington University Nursery School is located in the lower level of the building and it sustained some water and smoke damage. The Nursery School, which closed Monday, reopened at 9 a.m. March 27.

By Sunday evening, all corridors, carpets and apartments on levels 2 and 3 of Millbrook Two were cleaned and ready for occupancy. Facilities Planning and Management reports that all broken doors and locks have been replaced; the building's fire alarm system is fully operational except for detectors in the burned unit; and ceiling tiles in the Nursery School have been replaced.