Grease fire in Lane University Center

Frostburg’s fire department was called to the Lane University Center (LUC) for a fire alarm that turned out to be false. While the fire department was there, a second alarm sounded for a small grease fire that originated in the grease trap on the roof, according to David Glenn, director of dining services. Nobody was injured by the fire.

“There was a small grease fire last night which created some smoke and caused the second fire alarm to sound. The first alarm was caused by a patron of the Lane Center smoking too close to a sensor,” Glenn explained.

A LUC employee said, “There was no fire in the building when crews arrived on scene. The fire occurred when grease that had not been cleaned out in a rooftop vent by Aramark dripped from a vent onto a hot grill that was unmanned because of the original false alarm.”

“[The grease build up was] not a build-up consistent with 3 months use,” according to Glenn.

Although it is currently unclear how much damage the fire caused, a Frostburg firefighter estimated that “it will take 50 firefighters to clean up.” The LUC employee said that the firefighter was mistaken and “Crews were off campus moments after the origin of the smoke was determined.”

Glenn confirmed that all stations will be open as usual, and this will not impact the Moe’s Southwest Grill opening.

According to a Frostburg State University spokesperson, “there was no real damage,” and “arrangements have been made to have the vents cleaned this week.”