URBANA, Ill. (Chambana Today) — Two fire incidents on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus Thursday afternoon resulted in building evacuations and fire-department responses, though no injuries were reported and officials say there is no ongoing threat to the public.
First fire: At approximately 12:39 p.m., the Urbana Fire Department (UFD) was dispatched via METCAD to a working fire at the Transportation Building, located at 104 South Matthews Avenue. According to a UFD firefighter on scene, maintenance work on a steam vault underneath the building — part of the campus steam-power system installed over 100 years ago — caused a small blaze in a steam duct. Two employees in the area were able to evacuate safely and notify fire crews. The fire was extinguished swiftly, and firefighters remained to monitor hotspots and ventilate the building. Officials noted that no classes were held in the affected area, and that the steam and smoke did not pose a health risk to the surrounding community. An Illini-Alert was issued around 1:45 p.m. advising campus users to avoid the area while emergency services remained on scene.
Second incident: A separate fire incident in another campus building at 1005 S. Lincoln Avenue(details of location and cause are still under investigation) occurred later in the day. University officials have not disclosed the building name, but campus alert messages indicated an evacuation and temporary closure while fire-safety teams responded. As with the steam-vault blaze, no injuries were reported, and normal campus operations are expected to resume once inspections are complete.
Students and staff are reminded to stay clear of affected areas and to remain enrolled in the Illini-Alert emergency notification system.