Fire fighters begin to put out the fire after the dorm room burning damonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. The the fire burned for around four minutes before firefighters began to put it out.
The Campus Activities Programming Board put on their annual ‘Fire Factor’ demonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia. The demonstration, put on in coordination with the Columbia Fire Department, attracted a crowd of roughly 150 students.
MU sophomore Lauren Gilbert happened to be in Speakers Circle staffing the University Republicans booth when the demonstration took place. She said the burn “happened really quickly — the dorm was up in flames almost immediately.”
After the demonstration, students had the option to visit booths set up by the CAPB to learn more information and fill out a questionnaire.
A crowd gathers at Speakers Circle to watch the Fire Factor dorm room burn demonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at the MU campus in Columbia, Mo. The demonstration was put on by the Campus Activities Programming Board in conjunction with the Columbia Fire Department.
Fire fighters begin to put out the fire after the dorm room burning damonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. The the fire burned for around four minutes before firefighters began to put it out.
The crowd began to disperse as firefighters continued putting out the fire on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. Promotional materials explained the demonstration was conducted to show students “how quickly disaster can strike.”
Columbia Fire Marshals watch on as firefighters continue putting out the fire on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. Assistant Fire Marshal Mike Bauer, right, oversees the University Fire Department, in addition to his Marshal duties for the City of Columbia Fire Department.
Firefighter Elizabeth Leiva puts out a small fire on a chair in the fake dorm room on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. After the demonstration, fire fighters stuck around to make sure any remaining fire was taken care of.
Firefighter Shawn McCollum finishes putting out the dorm room burn demonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. Despite the demonstration itself lasting for only a few minutes, firefighters remained at the scene to ensure that any remaining danger was taken care of.
Students stand in a line for one of the information booths set up as part of the demonstration on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. After the demonstration, students were encouraged to fill out a questionnaire with information about their demographics and interest in future demonstrations to receive a t-shirt and sticker.