Editor’s note: This piece was last updated at 5:00 p.m.
DeKALB – At approximately 12:15 p.m. the Stevenson Tower A fire alarm sounded and students evacuated out of the residence hall.
According to an email sent to students by Housing and Residential Services, the fire started at the mechanical room in the basement. Damage was done to a motor control panel.
“This panel controls the domestic hot water pumps for the entire complex. Currently the Electricians are working on this issue to return hot water service to the building,” said Housing and Residential Services in the email.
Housing and Residential Services will contact staff and students as there are updates.
“In the interim students may seek out the Campus Recreation facility as an alternative location to take a shower,” said Housing and Residential Services in the email.
On the scene were two DeKalb fire engines and one Sycamore fire engine. There were also two fire battalions, one from DeKalb and one from Sycamore.
Battalion Chief Jason Pavlak said the exact start of the fire is unknown.
“There is some electrical issue in the basement,” Pavlak said.
Two NIU police officers blocked off Lucinda Avenue in between Stadium Drive West and Stadium Drive East until 1:50 p.m.
There were three DeKalb fire paramedics on the scene.
Pavlak said no one was harmed in the fire.
“So far what has happened is a small fire in the basement has been extinguished by our initial crew,” Pavlak said “We’ve just been working on smoke removal in the center section of Stevenson Tower.”
Silvia Salamanca, a first-year psychology major, said she could smell the smoke getting off the Huskie Line bus.
“I could smell burning and everything was a little smokey,” Salamanca said.
Stevenson A residents were cleared to go inside at 2:03 p.m.
Stevenson Retail Dining is closed for the day.
Adrian Rivera, a first-year biology student, said everything happened spontaneously.
“We heard the fire alarm and we all followed the code, you know, just go down the stairwells and stuff like that,” Rivera said. “Then we just saw some fire trucks just passing by so fast we knew exactly what was happening. We have kind of just been out here the whole entire time waiting.”