A worker looks on as a piece of roofing equipment burns behind the HPER building at Emporia State University.
There were no injuries in a fire that prompted the evacuation of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building at Emporia State University Thursday afternoon.
Smoke from the fire could be seen across Emporia.
The call came in about 2 p.m. Thursday for a fire on the east side of the HPER Building, said Jack Taylor, Emporia fire chief. According to Dave Sparks, of ESU’s Media Relation’s department, the fire started in a trailer that contains equipment that melts tar.
“Flames from the hot tar ignited the trailer and caused the tires on the trailer to explode from the heat,” Sparks said in a media release. “ESU personnel activated the building’s fire alarm and emergency lighting, and evacuated the building as a precaution.”
When crews arrived on scene there was a large column of black smoke coming from the kettle of a trailer on the east side of the building. The kettle is used to heat construction materials.
“It was fairly easy to extinguish,” Taylor said.
Amy Craig, a junior at ESU majoring in athletic training, said she was in the locker room at the time the fire broke out. She said she heard a loud commotion and fire alarms began going off.
“There was a lot of black smoke and fire coming up from the (trailer),” Craig said. “We didn’t know what was going on.”
Sheena LeMay, senior at ESU majoring in integrative studies with a concentration on photography and assistant coach of E-Unit, said she was in the HPER building at the time of the fire. She said she heard a loud explosion and as she walked outside saw a large fireball.
“It didn’t register,” she said. “We didn’t think anything of the sound and then we saw the fireball and realized something was wrong.”
LeMay immediately rushed to take photographs of the fire and brought them in to The Gazette.
“We stood out there until the fire was completely out,” she said.
Emporia resident Larry Alderson said he was coming out of Alltel, 2313 Industrial Road, when he saw black smoke coming from the ESU area.
“I saw a large cloud of black smoke rising,” Alderson said.
Taylor said there were no injuries and there is no damage to the building. The building was reopened about 20 minutes after the fire was reported.
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