•September 9, 2015•

With over a million students returning to colleges and universities throughout Illinois, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal urges students to familiarize themselves with the risks of fire and the simple steps they can take to stay safe in on-campus and off-campus housing.

According to the Center for Campus Fire Safety, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness for fire safety issues at colleges and universities, August and September are the most common months for fatal campus-related housing fires. Many college students have not had proper fire safety education since elementary school. This frequently results in students overlooking the real dangers of fire. Nationally, 126 people have died from fires that occurred on a college campus, in Greek housing, or in off-campus housing within three miles of campus since 2000.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), dormitory fires are more common in the evening hours between 5 and 11, and on weekends. NFPA research indicates that cooking equipment is involved in more than five out of six of these dormitory fires.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.