The D.C. Fire Department responded to an incident at Cassell Hall Sunday afternoon involving a smoking washing machine motor, American University spokesperson Elizabeth Deal confirmed to The Eagle.
DCFD confirmed at the scene that the smoke was due to an overloaded laundry machine with a burned motor, according to Deal. The situation did not involve an open fire, and no injuries were reported.
Cady Tran, a sophomore in the School of Communication, was on the fourth floor of Cassell when the fire alarm went off.
“When we opened our door we smelled smoke,” Tran said. “We figured it was coming from the lounge, somebody cooking.”
When Tran and her friends re-entered the building, she said they found custodial staff cleaning up wet carpet in the hallways and caution tape around the fourth floor laundry room door.
“The stairs were [also] totally drenched because they had to use the hoses,” Tran said.
Tran said her individual suite in Cassell was not affected.
“The issue has been resolved and the building has been deemed safe to reoccupy,” Deal said. “Cleanup is currently underway.”
This is a developing situation and will be updated as more information becomes available. Kate Corliss and Maeve Fishel contributed to the reporting of this story.
