Update on Engineering Hall fire
4:15 p.m.: The following updates were shared with College of Engineering staff, students and faculty on Friday afternoon, Nov. 17:
- Cleanup: The building remains closed to facilitate clean-up. You should have received a separate message covering the details for access to personal belongings and labs.
- Courses: Courses scheduled to be in Engineering Hall on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the Thanksgiving recess are being relocated. Instructors and students will receive detailed information from the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning about arrangements. All other Engineering campus classes will be held as normally scheduled next week.
- Cause: The Madison Fire Department’s Investigation Team has determined the fire was unintentional and occurred during routine maintenance work on an air handling unit in the building. Read more from Madison Fire.
Those affected by the fire will receive additional updates as information is available. The fire has interrupted work, learning and research, and all efforts are being made to fully reopen Engineering Hall as soon it is safe to do so.
noon: The Madison Fire Department’s Investigation Team has determined the fire was unintentional and occurred during routine maintenance work on an air handling unit in the building. Read more from Madison Fire.
10:15 a.m.: Engineering Drive is now open. Engineering Hall remains closed. All classes on the Engineering campus except those in Wendt Commons (Mechanical Engineering Building, Engineering Centers Building, Materials Science and Engineering Building, Engineering Research Building, 1410 Engineering Drive) are cancelled on Friday, Nov. 17.
Employees will be able retrieve their belongings from Engineering Hall from all floors except the 3rd floor. An escort is required and employees should meet at Car 31, near 1410 Engineering Hall, at Engineering Drive and N. Randall Ave.
Building occupants will continue to receive information from the College of Engineering.
9:40 a.m.: Engineering Hall is closed Friday and all classes, meetings and events scheduled for Engineering Hall are cancelled for the day. Please avoid the building.
Additionally:
- All engineering classes and exams scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17 are cancelled in the following buildings: Mechanical Engineering Building, Engineering Centers Building, Materials Science and Engineering Building, Engineering Research Building and 1410 Engineering Drive.
- All engineering and non-engineering classes, meetings, exams and events scheduled for today will meet as scheduled in Wendt Commons and other locations on the UW–Madison campus.
9:20 a.m.: Madison Fire has cleared employees to retrieve their belongings from Engineering Hall from all floors except the 3rd floor. An escort is required and employees should meet at Car 31, near 1410 Engineering Hall, at Engineering Drive and N. Randall Ave.
Lot 17 is currently inaccessible. Permit holders should relocate to Lot 7 (Grainger Hall Garage), Lot 20 (University Avenue Ramp), Lot 40, or Lot 41 until further notice. To locate these parking lots on a map, go to map.wisc.edu. Display your Lot 17 permit as usual.
Additional information will be emailed when information is available. Questions about parking can be directed to customerservice@fpm.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-6667.
8:45 a.m.: A fire in Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Drive, has prompted class and lab cancellations for courses located in that building for Friday, Nov. 17.
The building has been evacuated and is currently closed. All entry is prohibited. Police, fire and medical personnel remain on the scene and advise the public to avoid the area. The fire has been extinguished and there were no injuries.
All classes in other engineering buildings are canceled until noon.
Engineering Drive is closed from Randall Avenue. Lot 17 remains open via the driveway between the Engineering Centers Building and the Mechanical Engineering Building.
Students, faculty and staff with offices or laboratories in Engineering Hall should work with their supervisor to make alternate arrangements to complete work remotely. Those who were working in the building and needed to evacuate can meet on the third floor of Wendt Commons where they will receive updates. Union South is also open.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.