After the Straz Hall fire, facilities crews bolted close all windows in the dorm, angering students and leaving some worried for their safety. Some even worry that it’s a fire hazard.
Student Rebecca Palmer contacted the Tampa fire department and inquired about the fire safety of Straz Hall.
After a row of palm trees caught fire in front of Straz Hall, security speculated that the cause of the fire came from someone throwing a lit object out of a Straz window. ResLife immediately began to send facilities to bolt shut every Straz window.
With the windows bolted, the only escape would be the inside staircases on either sides of Straz Hall. The assistant fire marshal who addressed Palmer’s concern at first thought there might be a violation. However, when he learned that the dorm also has a sprinkler system equipped, he stated that there was no violation of the fire code.
Straz Hall is not the only residence that has their windows shut; aside from dorms that already had their windows sealed, Stadium Center, Austin Hall, and Kennedy Place’s windows are inaccessible altogether. ResLife has agreed to discuss the matter with Palmer.