By Rory McNelley, Education and Enrichment Coordinator

August 27th, the Commons Apartments caught fire around 7:10 p.m. which resulted in a large fire and police presence on campus. The source of the fire has been determined: a faulty air fryer. 

Commons is an upperclassmen dorm that offers a kitchen and single bedrooms,  housing up to 274 students when fully occupied. 

Word quickly spread across Xavier’s Fizz platform, including pictures of the incident. Discovering their apartment was on fire, many students stood across the street to watch the situation unfold. 

The fire started in a room on the third floor. After the building was evacuated, firefighters were able to go in and extinguish the fire. They broke down the door, and they were able to fan out the flame before it spread to other rooms, with help from the ceiling sprinklers.  

The sprinklers, though, were not contained to the single room. Residents across the third-floor reported coming home to a flooded apartment. Water sprayed from the ceiling onto beds, kitchens, living rooms and common rooms. 

“I was worried it would spread to my room. Some people’s rooms got ruined because of the sprinklers but luckily not mine,” a Sophomore physics and engineering major Ganza Kim said.

Many students assumed the fire alarm was a common fire drill, but after six fire engines showed up at the scene, they knew they were not going back inside anytime soon. Fire, sprinklers and smoke inconvenienced many residents. 

According to Xavier University’s 2025 Fire and Crime Log there were, “no injuries, property damage only.” The log also suggests this is the first major campus fire of 2025. 

“I saw the police cars, fire trucks, and everyone on the sidewalk when I was walking back from the Caf,” senior marketing major Harrison Taylor a resident, said. 

In commons, Xavier allows all UL-approved appliances to be used. This bans open active heating elements, such as toasters and some brands of air fryers. With an active heating element, the risk of a fire increases by 30 percent. 

Xavier University is no stranger to fire alarms. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, over 20 fire alarms were triggered either by detection of fire or accident. 

“It was definitely a shock. I saw smoke and knew it couldn’t be a drill. The officers made sure it was safe before we reentered the building,” Taylor said. 

Those affected by the sprinklers can apply for a grant from Xavier’s Student Emergency Fund. Designed for situations like this, the grant provides the resources to replace essential personal items and can provide temporary housing assistance.