Weather
Forces Temporary Evacuation of Lamont
Lamont House, Prospect Street |
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Smith
students were temporarily evacuated from Lamont House at
about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, after water in the
fire alarm system prompted officials to investigate the stability
of the roof.
The students were relocated
to two adjacent houses along Elm Street—Northrop and Gillett—while
Physical Plant employees looked into the safety of the roof,
following a day of intense precipitation.
However, students were
readmitted to Lamont about an hour later, and after officials
determined that the only source of concern in the residence
was the small portion of the house covered by a flat roof—the
section over the kitchen and dining room.
Smith Public Safety predicted
that the kitchen and dining room section would be closed
off overnight while Physical Plant employees worked to
remove the snow and water that had built up there.
The events unfolded when Northampton Fire Department responded
to the false activation of the fire alarm, apparently by
water in the system.
Built in 1955, Lamont House
is one of the newer houses on the Smith campus. When it is
fully occupied, 83 students reside in rooms on its three
floors. |
