October is Fire Prevention Month, a dedicated time each year when the National Fire Protection Association and many fire departments throughout the country take time to promote fire safety in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Throughout its history, Bluffton University has been no stranger to fires. This year marks the anniversary for two historic campus fires: the 40th anniversary of the Bren-Dell Hall fire and the 20th anniversary of the Ropp Addition fire.
The Bren-Dell Hall Fire
The Bren-Dell Hall fire occurred Nov. 1, 1978, when the first floor of caught fire in the early hours of the morning.
“It was about one or two in the morning, and all of a sudden the alarm goes off,” said Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Randy Keeler, who was a student living on the third floor of Bren-Dell at the time. “At first we thought it was just a drill.”
Keeler said he remembers seeing an unconscious student as he exited the building.
“As I was going out the door towards Ropp, I noticed–and I didn’t have my contacts in, and I don’t see very well without my contacts–but I did see a person laying on the ground, and I saw Tracy Trian… he was over top of somebody kind of working on him,” said Keeler.
According to memos found in the Bluffton Archives, there was one death as a result of the Bren-Dell fire. Dan Purdy, the student who lived in the room, suffered severe burns and lung injuries according to. No other students were reported to have sustained any serious injuries. The cause of the fire was determined to be a candle that ignited a flammable decoration hanging from the ceiling.
“During that time, the trendy thing to do was to have fishnets in your room,” said Keeler. “Like hanging from the ceiling, and all different kinds of patterns and interlocking with each other and covering the whole ceiling.”
The hall decorative policy was changed in response to the fire. Students were banned from hanging fabrics from the walls or ceilings as they posed a fire hazard.
The Nov. 10, 1978, issue of The Witmarsum included a tribute to
Purdy and a note from the Bluffton Fire and Rescue Squads thanking students for assisting during the fire and extending condolences to the Purdy family and campus community.
In memory of Dan Purdy, a tree was planted outside the Marbeck Center. However, when Marbeck was expanded to include Bob’s Place, the tree was removed and a new tree was planted in the sidewalk intersection near Shoker Science Center.
The Ropp Addition Fire
Almost 20 years later, on Sept. 24, 1998, a fire started on the second floor of Ropp Addition less than 24 hours after a scheduled fire drill. Unlike the fire in Bren-Dell, this fire was not an accident.
“I remember I was up late working on a paper,” said archives and special collections librarian Carrie Phillips, who lived on the floor where the fire had started. “Like maybe 2 a.m., I went to bed, the next thing I remember was the fire alarm were going off.”
The Witmarsum reported on Oct. 2, 1998, that the fire started in the room of then-sophomores Michelle Mattingly and Christina Andulics.
“I open my door, and the hallway was just black, except I could see flames on the floor and up the left wall just maybe 10 or 15 feet in front of me,” said Phillips. “Fortunately, the only thing I could do was was to turn right and immediately go out the exit door.”
Phillips said many students were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Mattingly and Andulics were taken to separate hospitals for serious burns they sustained in their room, according to the Oct. 2, 1998, Witmarsum story.
Both Mattingly and Andulics survived the fire. Mattingly was charged and later convicted of aggravated arson for starting the Ropp Addition fire, according to a Dec. 1999 report in The Lima News. Reports on Mattingly’s motivation were conflicting, and no official reason she started the fire was ever released.
On Oct. 6, 1998, The BG News, a student publication of Bowling Green State University, published an Associated Press story that included a statement from then Bluffton College President Lee Snyder on Mattingly’s arrest.
“Many of you know Michelle. This is a very difficult time for her, her family and her friends. Our prayers are with Michelle and her family in the weeks ahead,” Snyder’s statement read.
Phillips said she and fellow residents of the second floor were moved elsewhere for a while.
“The most intense damage was on the second floor,” Phillips said.“The first floor had a lot if water damage. The third floor had some smoke damage, but not as intense as what was on the second floor.”
