Omaha fire officials say a discarded cigarette was the cause of the Scott Village fire yesterday that left 48 UNO students without a place to sleep. MavRadio staff member Alex Kuklinski was on-scene reporting as the fire broke out.
UNO student Jason Lynn was in the building when he heard smoke detectors going off. Lynn also says people outside were yelling and throwing rocks at windows to inform them of the fire. Within minutes of him getting out of the building, flames erupted from the roof of the building.
At least five fire trucks and numerous Omaha Police cruisers quickly began to take control of the situation, including closing off Pine Street from the Scott Conference Center to Scott Court. All occupants of the building are safe and accounted for. A firefighter was injured, but he was taken to the hospital and is okay.
Several occupants of the building reported hearing an explosion or loud pop, but fire officials have released the cause of the fire: a discarded cigarette on the second floor. It’s unclear if the fire started on a balcony. The university prohibits smoking inside any building, including dorms. If anyone is to smoke, they must be 10 feet from the building.
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