Police Detective Probes Cause Of Adams House A-Entry Fire

Arson and faulty chimney ventilation are the two most likely causes of Tuesday's fire in Adams House A-entry, John W. Ambrogne, lieutenant detective of the Massachusetts State Police, said yesterday.

"There is the possibility that the fire was deliberately set," Ambrogne said, adding that fire investigators are still trying to determine whether soot build-up in the chimney could have caused the blaze.

The blaze, which damaged several rooms extensively, filled the entire third floor of the entry with smoke. Water from fire hoses and water sprinklers leaked through three floors, flooding the Adams House kitchen and forcing Robert T. Martin, dining hall manger, to cancel lunch for the day.

The Department of Buildings and Grounds (B&G) had no record of when it last cleaned the Adams House chimneys. However, Frank A. Marciano, superintendent of area maintenance, said yesterday, "There is no evidence that soot build-up caused the fire."

Marciano added that even though B&G inspects chimneys and fireplaces at Harvard each year, there is no way of knowing exactly how long it has been since it last cleaned the Adams House chimneys.

"It's really a shame they had a fire," Marciano said, adding, "We were planning on inspecting those fireplaces in a week or so."

A B&G official, who wished to remain unidentified, said yesterday he believed a burning log rolled out of a fireplace in the room where the blaze began, setting off the fire in A-entry.

S. Rainsford Rouner '79, a resident of Adams A-37, the suit where the blaze began, said neither he nor his roommates had used their fireplace for three days before the fire. He added that they "always make sure all of the coals are cold when we leave the room anyway."

Fire officials have not released a cost estimate of the damage, but students have reported the loss of stereo speakers, a guitar, books, furniture, mountain climbing equipment, and even an art student's portfolio.

Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel, did not comment about University liability for students' losses.