The Los Angeles Fire Department made several visits to UCLA
Friday when small fires occurred in two of the campus eateries
throughout the day.
An electrical fire occurred in the North Campus Student Center
early Friday morning, halting food production while measures were
taken to get the center back in business.
The fire was discovered at 5:30 a.m. by a career cook working on
food preparation.
The employee noticed smoke coming from an outlet and immediately
dialed 911, said John Roper, division manager for the center.
The fire started in an outlet within the kitchen and was
contained within the wall.
When the fire department came to the building, they knocked open
the wall and used two of the kitchen’s fire extinguishers to
put out the flames before they spread, said Fire Marshal Dana
Johnson.
The fire department made plans to get the extinguishers back
into the kitchen that day.
The fire marshal, in conjunction with the department of
Environmental Health & Safety, will continue to oversee repairs
of the wall and electrical wiring.
Health inspectors from EH&S and an insurance representative
also inspected the site Friday.
Employees of the student center were given the option to either
take the day off or complete their scheduled hours by helping with
clean up.
Plans were made for repairs to continue through the weekend, and
reopening of the food court is planned for today.
If the repairs are not completed by today, Roper said he is
considering having an outdoor barbecue to substitute the food court
until the problems are fixed.
Campus food operation officials said they will not be taking any
chances.
“We certainly won’t open until it’s safe;
it’s an old facility and takes a lot of wear and tear,”
said Bob Williams, Food Services Director.
As for food service last Friday, only the pre-made “grab
and go” sandwiches were available. They were moved to the
cafe portion of the Student Center for purchase.
Later that afternoon, students were again deterred from buying
food when a Cooperage pizza oven caught on fire at Ackerman Student
Union.
As fire alarms sounded at 3 p.m. and the smell of smoke filled
the air, the entire building was evacuated by campus officials.
Employees of the student store stood guard at the doors and
turned away shoppers while the fire was being contained.
The fire was put out with relative ease, said Captain Frank Lima
of the LAFD. Lima added that there were no injuries sustained.
But to fully ensure the safety of the fire site, Ackerman Union
was declared closed for the rest of the day at approximately 5:30
p.m., said Patricia Eastman, executive director of the Associated
Students of UCLA.