At Drew University a cigarette smoking student sparked a fire that spread through a dormitory. No one was injured but it was enough for school officials to ban smoking in dorms. It also led to much “I told you so” posturing by state legislators who just passed a statewide ban on smoking in college residence halls:
With Drew as his backdrop, acting Gov. Richard Codey will sign the measure into law on Monday giving all public and private universities 60 days to comply. … New Jersey’s law is considered the toughest in the nation because it includes private, as well as public, universities. Other states, like Connecticut and Wisconsin, have legislated smoking bans that affect only public university residence halls.
But after examining the Drew fire a bit more closely it appears that the blaze was sparked less by smoking than by stupidity. Officials say the fire
was caused by an ash that fell from a student’s cigarette onto spilled lighter fluid.
Smoking near spilled lighter fluid? Seems like Drew’s admissions policy needs more tightening than its smoking policy. Article here;via Sploid.