AUGUSTA — A small fire in the University of Maine at Augusta’s Bennett D. Katz Library forced evacuation Friday and caused minor damage to one room.
Battalion Chief John Bennett of the Augusta Fire Department said a small heater in a second-floor conference room had an electrical malfunction, which caused it to catch on fire. He said the department was alerted to the fire at 10:34 a.m.
When fire crews arrived, there was smoke on the second floor but the fire had burned itself out. Bennett said the department ventilated the room to help mitigate the smell of smoke.
No one was injured in the small fire, according to firefighters.
Bennett said the fire caused about $1,000 in damage, which included the cost of the heating unit that malfunctioned and the cost of getting the smoke odor out of the room.
The room, known as the Writing Lab, may require a new heater and perhaps some new carpeting, according to Domna Giatas, UMA’s executive director of planning and communications.
She said the fire caused “minimal disruption during the period of the evacuation,” and all other portions of the building were open before noon. Giatas added that while the building does not hold traditional classrooms, some remote classes could have been disrupted.
Dozens of UMA Senior College students watching “Schindler’s List” for a classic films class in the Klahr Center, adjacent to Katz Library, were evacuated from the building and their class was canceled. The Senior College offers learning opportunities and activities for people 50 or older.
Giatas said the library, at 20 Jewett Drive on the UMA campus, was closed for the remainder of the day.
The Katz Library is not open Saturday, but is expected to be open for its normal hours Sunday.
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