Boland Hall Fire
Encyclopedia
The Boland Hall fire was a fatal fire
in Boland Hall, a freshman residence hall on the Seton Hall University
campus in South Orange
, New Jersey
, United States
on January 19, 2000. Three students died and many more were injured. It was one of the deadliest college fires in recent U.S. history.
Two students who set the fire as a prank were indicted in mid-2003, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in late 2006, and were sentenced to five years' imprisonment in early 2007.
was used, the fire burned hot enough to melt the synthetic carpet
of the hall, causing severe injuries to many of the students attempting to escape the conflagration by crawling on the floor to reach the stairs. Most students on the third floor evacuated in the thick smoke using the staircases; a few jumped over 40 feet (12 meters) to the ground. Three students died. Aaron Karol and Frank Caltabilota died of thermal injuries, and John Giunta died due to smoke inhalation. Fifty-eight students and firefighters were injured, four seriously enough to require lengthy hospital stays and rehabilitation.
Another cause of the injuries/deaths was the fact that the residence hall went through several months of false fire alarms causing students to ignore the alarms
, including the one warning of this fire.
s at the Class of 2003 graduation ceremony. The school now has a strict fire code for all residence halls and makes fire safety a top priority.
Matt Rainey won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
for his series in the Star-Ledger depicting two students' burn recovery from the fire.
charged two freshmen students, Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore, of starting the fire and felony murder
for the deaths which resulted. Authorities charged another Seton Hall student, Santino Cataldo, with witness tampering
and obstruction of justice
based on his actions in the investigation. All of the charges against Cataldo were dismissed.
On November 15, 2006, LePore and Ryan admitted that they had set the fire and pleaded guilty to third-degree arson
.
On January 26, 2007, they were sentenced to five years in a youth correctional facility, but were eligible for parole after 16 months. The families of the victims strongly condemned the two suspects during the sentencing hearing, calling them "cowards" for running away after setting the fire instead of helping to evacuate the dorm.
On March 31, 2008, both LePore and Ryan were denied parole from the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Yardville, where they had been incarcerated since February of 2007. LePore was to be eligible for parole after another 18 months, and Ryan after another 11.
On May 6, 2009, Ryan was released on parole.
Civil lawsuits by the victims' families are still pending.
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
in Boland Hall, a freshman residence hall on the Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
campus in South Orange
South Orange, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on January 19, 2000. Three students died and many more were injured. It was one of the deadliest college fires in recent U.S. history.
Two students who set the fire as a prank were indicted in mid-2003, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in late 2006, and were sentenced to five years' imprisonment in early 2007.
The fire
The fire began around 4:30 AM on January 19 when most students were asleep. It spread rapidly across three couches in the third floor lounge and approached temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit (815 degrees Celsius) in less than five minutes. Though no accelerantAccelerant
Accelerants play a major role in chemistry. Most chemical reactions can be hastened with an accelerant. Accelerants alter a chemical bond, speed up a chemical process, or bring organisms back to homeostasis. Accelerants are not necessarily catalysts as they may be consumed by the process...
was used, the fire burned hot enough to melt the synthetic carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
of the hall, causing severe injuries to many of the students attempting to escape the conflagration by crawling on the floor to reach the stairs. Most students on the third floor evacuated in the thick smoke using the staircases; a few jumped over 40 feet (12 meters) to the ground. Three students died. Aaron Karol and Frank Caltabilota died of thermal injuries, and John Giunta died due to smoke inhalation. Fifty-eight students and firefighters were injured, four seriously enough to require lengthy hospital stays and rehabilitation.
Another cause of the injuries/deaths was the fact that the residence hall went through several months of false fire alarms causing students to ignore the alarms
Cry Wolf
Cry_Wolf is a 2005 American horror/slasher murder mystery directed by Jeff Wadlow after he won $1,000,000 at the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival.-Plot:...
, including the one warning of this fire.
Aftermath
The three students who died were honored with bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s at the Class of 2003 graduation ceremony. The school now has a strict fire code for all residence halls and makes fire safety a top priority.
Matt Rainey won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography has been awarded since 1968 for a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album....
for his series in the Star-Ledger depicting two students' burn recovery from the fire.
Legislation
The investigation following the fire revealed that Boland Hall lacked sprinklers, although the university claimed that at the time that the residence hall was still in compliance with the building code. In response, New Jersey enacted the first mandatory residence hall sprinkler law in the nation.Litigation
After a three-and-a-half year investigation, on June 12, 2003, a 60-count indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
charged two freshmen students, Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore, of starting the fire and felony murder
Felony murder rule
The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder in two ways. First, when an offender kills accidentally or without specific intent to kill in the course of an applicable felony, what might have been manslaughter is escalated to murder...
for the deaths which resulted. Authorities charged another Seton Hall student, Santino Cataldo, with witness tampering
Witness tampering
Witness tampering is harming or otherwise threatening a witness, hoping to influence his or her testimony.-Witness tampering in the USA:In the United States, the crime of witness tampering in federal cases is defined by statute at , "Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant"...
and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
based on his actions in the investigation. All of the charges against Cataldo were dismissed.
On November 15, 2006, LePore and Ryan admitted that they had set the fire and pleaded guilty to third-degree arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
.
On January 26, 2007, they were sentenced to five years in a youth correctional facility, but were eligible for parole after 16 months. The families of the victims strongly condemned the two suspects during the sentencing hearing, calling them "cowards" for running away after setting the fire instead of helping to evacuate the dorm.
On March 31, 2008, both LePore and Ryan were denied parole from the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Yardville, where they had been incarcerated since February of 2007. LePore was to be eligible for parole after another 18 months, and Ryan after another 11.
On May 6, 2009, Ryan was released on parole.
Civil lawsuits by the victims' families are still pending.
Further reading
- Robin Gaby Fisher: After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship. Little Brown and Company 2008. ISBN 0-3160-6621-4