On Feb. 21, students at Montclair State University faced mass disruption during the mid-morning commute to and from campus as a car fire of unknown origins caught ablaze on the third floor of the Red Hawk Parking Deck.
The parking garage, located next to the Montclair State police station and Alexander Kasser Theater, caught the attention of students and authorities as black smoke was seen billowing from the garage. Police and fire response to the incident was immediate as spectators were held back at a safe distance.
Firefighters work outside of the Red Hawk Deck.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
According to text alerts sent by the Red Hawk Alert Rave system, three vehicles were impacted in the fire with two identifiable owners of the cars being alerted of the incident.
Sean Ford, a freshman business major, saw the smoke from the Red Hawk Deck as he was practicing lacrosse.
Sean Ford, a freshman business student, saw the smoke as he was practicing lacrosse.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
“We’re practicing and I look over and we see some smoke and we ignore it for a little bit,” Ford said. “But then we look back and it’s a lot of smoke and we’re all fearing it was our cars.”
Aislyn Lapp, a junior biology major, found out about the fire after she had gotten out of her class.
“I got a text and [suddenly] everybody got the text at the same time,” Lapp said. “And I’ve just kind of been waiting since. We went over to the other entrance and that’s when the police showed up and told us we couldn’t go in.”
Aisyln Lapp, a junior biology student, waits outside to be allowed inside the Red Hawk Deck.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
In addition to commuter disruption, resident students reliant on the campus shuttles also faced challenges during the response to the fire, as routes and drop-off locations were changed due to the Red Hawk Deck being blocked off.
The campus text alert system released an urgent message to students about the car fire at 11a.m. with a following report at 11:39 a.m. stating that the shuttles had been rerouted. The campus population was notified of the damages to the other two cars at 12:32 p.m.
Emily McCormack, a senior film and television major, was on one of the shuttles during the fire.
Emily McCormack, a senior film and television student, was on the shuttles during the fire.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
“[The shuttle driver] had to make a detour around the parking lot near the train station,” McCormack said. “And so we pass by twice, and there were several cop cars, several cops stopping in the road to make sure no one went in.”
Montclair State President Jonathan Koppell arrived on the scene as the fire trucks were leaving the Red Hawk Deck at noon to assess the damages.
University president Jonathan Koppell walks into the entrance of Red Hawk Deck.
Sal DiMaggio | The Montclarion
University Police officers alerted students gathering around the garage and announced that they’d be able to retrieve their vehicles within the next few hours.
As of 3:20 p.m., the garage reopened for controlled exit and members of the campus community have been asked to line up at the entrance of the soccer field or on College Avenue.
This is an ongoing story, please stay tuned for more information by keeping up to date with The Montclarion’s social media.
