UO police officer douses flames in Villard Hall fire

A University of Oregon police officer used a building fire extinguisher to snuff out a burning lamp and books on the third floor of Villard Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

Officer Troy Phillips was one of the first officers to the scene just before 12:30 p.m. He doused the flames as other officers helped with evacuation.

Observant faculty in the comparative literature department noticed an electrical burning odor and called UOPD dispatch before evacuating. Dispatch summoned UOPD officers and the fire department.

Responding fire fighters then ensured the fire was out and worked to vent smoke from the building.

This was the second time Phillips stopped a campus fire. As a resident assistant in 2013 he put out a fire in Tingle Hall in the Hamilton Complex.

The UO Fire Marshal said the first and second floors of Villard Hall would be available for class use Tuesday afternoon, but the third floor will not be accessible to the public. Damage estimates will not be available until a full loss assessment is complete, but the building and contents are insured.

Classes on the third floor will be moved to alternate locations through at least Tuesday evening. Affected faculty members and students will be contacted via e-mail, and new locations and other updates will be posted to the Alerts Blog.

By Kelly McIver, UO Police Department