Administrators caught and punished the student who set the fires in the third floor stairwell and Whittier Woods hallway last week. Security guards found the student when they checked surveillance cameras.

Burns from the fire remain on the walls but don’t pose a problem.

Sophomore Reia Tong put a trash can over the fire in the Whittier Woods hallway after noticing flames. She successfully put out the fire.

“ It was just all over the papers in the hallway,” she said. “The fire wasn’t that big. I wasn’t scared, but I was confused.”

Students and staff evacuated the building quickly. They waited outside for over an hour until the fire marshal cleared the building.

Some students sat down in the parking lot with friends while others relaxed in their cars. According to some students, security guards threatened them to get out of their cars or lose their parking space.

“They weren’t supposed to be in their cars, so I’m sure that they heard a variety of motivating statements to get them out,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said that the most important lesson from the fires is that students must continue to be cautious.

“Arson is a scary thing,” he said. “What is refreshing is that the students were vigilant. A variety of things can take place on any given day and so it’s good to have everybody’s help in keeping us safe.”