UW-Madison students evacuated Witte Hall dormitory on West Johnson Street Thursday when a elevator fire broke out at 3:14 a.m.
System Director of University Housing Mike Kinderman said the fire started in the emergency phone box of an A tower elevator and is currently under investigation by the UWPD as well as the Madison Fire Department.
[The fire] caused quite a bit of smoke, but not a heck of a lot of damage, said MFD Lt. Peter Ystenes.
""It was pretty much contained to that [phone] box, but we had to evacuate both towers,"" he said.
Ystenes admitted to faulty alarm systems in Witte Hall.
""The first semester, we did have several odds and ends issues with the fire alarm system itself and some real activations that should have happened. We certainly had more [evacuations] in Witte than in other areas,"" he said.
UW-Madison freshman and Witte Hall resident Jenny Bar said she was hesitant to get out of bed.
""We've had so many alarms and nothing's ever happened, so why bother going outside when you know it's going to be a false alarm anyway. Bar and friends only left their rooms after hearing that an actual fire occurred.
The Madison Fire Department does not have a definitive explanation for the fire. ""At this point we're not quite sure what caused it, arson is always a possibility but we haven't verified that,"" Ystenes said.
""It's just scary when something like this happens, and the potential of the damage that could have been done.""
Kinderman, who is awaiting the Fire Department's assessment, is also anxious to find out the cause of the fire.
""I haven't gotten a confirmation one way or another whether it was faulty wiring or whether someone actually set it,"" he said.
Witte Hall personnel and the Madison Fire Department request that students who have information regarding the fire contact house fellows, residence life coordinators, police or the Madison area crime stoppers to provide tips.
