UM follows up on fire accident

There was a fire accident in one of the rooms in Choi Kai Yau College at the University of Macau (UM). One security guard on campus arrived at the scene immediately and put out the fire. No student was injured in the incident. The university has taken follow-up actions and will actively cooperate with police investigation. At about 3:00am this morning, a fire accident occurred in one of the rooms on the first floor of Choi Kai Yau College at UM. After receiving the call, a fire crew immediately arrived at the scene. More than 200 students were evacuated immediately. One security guard felt sick from smoke inhalation while putting out the fire and was sent to the hospital. It is suspected that the fire was caused by a short circuit in an electric appliance used in the student’s room. No student was injured in the fire. During the incident, the fault protection system on campus worked properly, with tripping of the circuit breakers and fire alarm going into action as expected. The campus security guard acted swiftly, and managed to put out the fire before the fire crew arrived at the scene. The university would like to thank and compliment the security guard for his prompt assistance in putting out the fire. After the fire, the university’s senior management immediately called a meeting to discuss follow-up actions. The university also assigned staff to provide counselling for students and faculty members. It is reported that there was some conflict between one of the students and a journalist during the incident. That student’s intention was to protect the privacy and feelings of those students who were dressed only in underwear because of the hasty evacuation. The police are now looking into the incident, and the university will actively cooperate with police investigation.