False Alarms Annoy Students

A series of fire alarms disrupted the daily routines of residents of 29 Garden St. last week, occupants said yesterday.

The three alarms were attributed to unrelated causes, said Scott Kim, a Garden Street proctor. The fact that there have been so many alarms in so short a period of time is simply a "co-incidence," he said.

The first alarm sounded last Tuesday morning due to the emissions of a faulty boiler in the basement of the apartments, said 29 Garden St. resident George S. Wang '96. Because most students were away in class, few residents were disturbed by the 11 a.m. alarm.

Fumes of a newly painted heater set off the second alarm at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to Kim. The heater was turned on because of the cold weather, he said.

Scantily-clad students were forced to stand outside in the "freezing night air" for 30 minutes while fire fighters examined the building, said Matthew Bellizzi '96.

Recent Alarm

The most recent alarm sounded at 5 p.m. Saturday when a coffee pot left on the stove in a first floor dorm room caught fire. Four fire trucks arrived and students were evacuated, according to observers.

Neither officials from the Cambridge Fire Department nor the Harvard University Police Department could be reached for comment.

Students interviewed yesterday said that the frequency of these occurrences has caused them to become less responsive to alarms. Many students did not even bother to leave their rooms during the last alarm, said Wang.

"The confusion [caused by the alarms] is a pain in the neck," said Matthew Mougalian '96.

Special Attempts

In response to last week's events, proctors are making special attempts to urge students not to grow complacent, according to residents.

Proctors are also encouraging first-years to be more careful with electrical appliances, students said. Each dorm room in 29 Garden St. is equipped with a kitchen and appliances traditionally forbidden in all undergraduate housing.

"We're all new here. New freshmen are not used to having their own kitchens," Kim said.