UCA Stadium Park Apartment building six went up in flames Jan. 25, displacing some students.
Residence Coordinator Shamal Sullivan’s apartment caught fire when the exhaust fan connecting his bathrooms sparked flames.
Sullivan said he smelled heat, but because of the cold temperatures, he didn’t think much of it since his heater had been running for a few weeks.
“I came back from a basketball game, and I started playing Fortnite. As soon as I walked in I smelled heat, but my heat has been on since the snow, and I hadn’t touched it in three weeks, so I continued playing the game anyway,” he said.
After putting his headset back on, Sullivan thought he heard cracking noises and noticed his hallway light go out.
“From the corner of my eye, I saw the hallway light shut off, and then I heard something else like a crack. So, I told my friend that I was going to check it out and I went into the restroom and there was a small fire coming from the vent,” he said.
Other students in building six smelled the smoke and alerted Sullivan right as he found the flames, but the fire alarms didn’t go off until after he found the fire.
“Residents knocked on my door saying they smelled something, so I checked the apartment above mine and couldn’t find and pinpoint it,” he said. “I called [UCA]PD to let them know.”
Apartments in Stadium Park sit in ruins after a fire caused damage to the building. The physical plant will inspect exhaust fans for issues.
UCAPD officer Billy Colvin responded to the call.
Colvin could see smoke before entering the building, and when officer Daniel Ridge arrived they used the fire extinguisher in his car to attempt to put it out.
The fire extinguisher was unsuccessful, and all occupants of building six were evacuated.
The Conway Fire Department arrived shortly after, extinguishing the fire and ventilating the affected apartments within an hour.
Damage from the fire caused all occupants to be moved, although some have already been cleared to go back.
“We just use spaces that we had open across campus, so we just put them in temporary spaces. Some will get to go back soon, and some we just put in a different permanent spot,” Director of Bear Card and Housing Operations Heather Romine said.
Because of the fire, the physical plant will inspect the remaining exhaust fans for any potential issues.
While there is not a cost estimate at this time, Kevin Carter, the associate vice president for facilities, said that while four units across from the fire will be fit for students to return to, the rest will probably be unusable for the foreseeable future.
“The four units on the east side of building six, opposite the fire, have been cleaned and will be ready to reoccupy in the next few days. The four units on the side of the fire will likely be offline for the remainder of the semester,” Carter said.
Sullivan said he is just thankful to be safe, even though it was hard for him to see the silver lining at first.
“After the fire disrupted my plans for the semester, I found myself facing challenges. The loss of amenities, such as a tub for recovery baths, impacted my training routine. Despite being a month away from the Little Rock Marathon on March 3, I struggled with motivation and physical setbacks.
“The disruption also affected my scheduled activities, including a documentary project on my marathon day and job interviews requiring campus visits. However, a positive turn occurred when my knee improved running it into something in my apartment while the electricity was out, allowing me to resume training. The experience taught me to be grateful for the upcoming semester’s opportunities and events,” he said.