BREAKING NEWS: Fire at Alumni Quad
- theaspeic
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Lucienne Burns & Mirai Abe | February 5, 2026
Around 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, a fire broke out in a University at Albany dorm room at Alumni Quad.
The University at Albany Police Department (UPD) along with public dispatch records confirmed that there had been a fire Wednesday night at 295 Western Avenue in Alden Hall, a dorm located on Alumni Quad near UAlbany’s downtown campus.
According to dispatch recordings on Open HMZ, the Albany Fire Department (AFD) arrived to the scene. The fire was in a bedroom located on the second floor of a three-floor building.
As of right now, the cause of the fire remains unknown. The university confirmed that an initial investigation into the fire did not indicate foul play or misconduct.
Students living in Alden Hall had to evacuate following the fire, which was contained to one student’s dorm room. According to the university, one injury was reported.
“The Albany Fire Department, University Police Department and Five Quad, along with the University’s Facilities and Residential Life teams responded promptly and the fire was quickly brought under control,” said Amy Geduldig, the director of public information at UAlbany. “One student was treated for smoke inhalation and has since been released from the hospital.”
Students that were on or near the scene when the fire happened expressed confusion and stress during the event.
“I don’t know much about what happened,” said Mona Magid, a senior political science major who lives in the building. “We left the rooms at like 11 p.m., I think, and then we went to Waterbury because it’s really cold outside and all of the buildings were evacuated to the basement there.”
Magid is currently staying over at a friend’s house because the students are not yet allowed to go back to Alden Hall.
Matthew Eskaros, a junior music major living in Waterbury Hall, adjacent to Alden Hall, described seeing firetrucks outside and a message from his Resident Assistant (RA). The message, received at around 11:18 p.m., said that the students needed to evacuate due to an emergency.
Like Magid, Eskaros chose to stay at a friend’s instead of his dorm, but later received another update that Magid did not.
“At 12:22 a.m, my RA sent a message saying that Waterbury Hall Residents may reenter the building,” Eskaros said. “Once I saw this message I wasn't as stressed because I knew that my valuables were safe, but I was still confused about what happened.”
As of 2 p.m. today, the university confirmed that students had been relocated to the residence hall next door due to damages, and that students’ arrival back to their dorm may come as soon as tonight, Feb. 5.
“Some students have been temporarily relocated to Waterbury Hall due to smoke or water damage affecting their rooms,” Geduldig said. “The university is also arranging for food and support services to assist those impacted. We expect residents will be able to return to their rooms later today.”
This story is developing, and more updates will follow.