Fire in Quincy House Suite Burns Couch

A fire in a Quincy House suite last week was apparently caused by an untended cigarette.

According to police reports, the blaze broke out at about 9 a.m. on December 30 in the sixth-floor suite where Michael D. Cooperson '87 was sleeping.

Quincy House Superintendent Ronald Levesque said he was working in his office when he heard smoke detectors buzzing and saw a large fire in the room's window. Grabbing fire extinguishers as he ran, Levesque climbed the stairs and was joined by maintenance crew chief Manuel DaSilva.

Levesque and DaSilva opened the door to room 605 and saw that a couch was burning. Levesque said they used up six fire extinguishers to put out the fire. As they prepared to leave, the door slammed shut and the window exploded from the intense heat. The two men managed to escape through the soot-filled hallways as police arrived.

Levesque and DaSilva were admitted to UHS for smoke inhalation after the fire.

Quincy House Resident Tutor Paul Erickson called them "heroes."

Police reported that damage to the room was minimal.

Fire department spokesmen were unavailable for comment, but Levesque said the department called the fire "accidental."