Deadly Campus Fires Related to Drinking

Overconsumption of alcohol is a huge factor in fires at off-campus college housing, including most fatal blazes, USA Today reported Aug. 30.

Austin Cohen, 21, a University of Dayton senior, was killed in a December 2000 fire after a drunken friend accidentally set their house on fire while playing with burning paper. The smoke alarm in the house had previously been disabled after a pizza burned in an oven.

Cohen was one of 54 college students killed in fires at off-campus housing since 2000, most of which were related to alcohol use. Researchers say the fatal fires typically had three common factors: excessive alcohol use, a fire that was deliberately set, and disabled smoke alarms. "This is a very typical scenario," said Ed Comeau, director of the Center for Campus Fire Safety, of the circumstances around Cohen's death. "These factors are there time and time again."

Dorms and on-campus housing have fire drills, alarms and sprinkler systems, but Comeau says fire codes are harder to enforce in off-campus housing.

Research shows that one in four fatal fires at off-campus housing started after a party, and in a majority of cases at least one of the victims had been drinking. Experts noted that alcohol can deaden the sense of smell, further slowing the reaction time of drinkers in the event of a fire.

"Even if you wake up in time, you may not make a rational decision," said Steven Avato, a fire investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "You may go down a hall toward a fire instead of away. You may not remember where emergency exits are. It makes your decision-making process much harder, if you are able to respond at all."

Peter Morgan, the friend who accidentally set the fire that killed Cohen, was sentenced to manslaughter. "I don't want to make light of what happened, but I don't think it was the fire," he said. "It was more the alcohol and the dangers of drinking into a stupor the way most college kids tend to do. Yes, the fire caused it, but it is the stupidity behind it that really set it off."

University of Dayton assistant dean of students Scott Markland said Cohen's death serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of heavy drinking. "Our binge-drinking rates have been down for two years running," he said. "Thursday night drinking is down, and our faculty have done a great job doing their part holding students accountable and increasing academic rigor."

Cohen's parents, however, have sued the school, contending that administrators failed to take steps to adequately protect their son. "We passed the baton to the University of Dayton. They dropped it, and now we have to carry that loss," said Kim Cohen. "There comes an assumption of safety. Their inaction cost my son's life."

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