CANTON— Student residents of St. Lawrence University’s Whitman Hall were relocated from their dorm rooms Sunday after a dryer fire resulted in smoke and water damage. 

Canton Fire was dispatched to the scene of a reported fire on the third floor of Whitman Hall just before 5:15 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25. 

Personnel arrived on scene at 5:24 p.m. and were advised by SLU Security of a heavy volume of smoke in the area of the third floor laundry room. 

Personnel reportedly found the remnants of a fire in a dryer and an activated sprinkler head above the dryer, discharging water in the laundry room. 

Firefighters extinguished the remainder of the fire with pressurized water and stopped the flow of water from the sprinkler. 

As a result of the sprinkler activation firefighters shifted their efforts to a salvage operation to remove and redirect as much of the water from the sprinkler head as possible. 

Canton Fire command personnel worked with SLU officials to coordinate the cleanup and relocation of students. The scene was later turned over to St. Lawrence for continued remediation.

Former Canton Fire Chief Robert Crowe noted that the sprinkler system performed as intended by keeping the fire in check until the fire department arrived to complete the extinguishment. 

“Had the sprinkler system not been in place, the fire would have gained a much more significant foothold, resulting in much more damage to the building and the potential for injuries to the residents. The benefits of fire sprinklers was realized today, even though there was some water damage. Everything will dry out, nothing unburns,” Crowe said 

Canton Fire personnel were back in service at just before 7 p.m. 

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries. 

Just over an hour prior, Canton Fire had been on scene of the Russell house fire  on County Route 25, which had reportedly rekindled. 

Crowe reports that the remnants of the house had reignited, which was noticed and called in by a passer by. 

The department was requested for Tanker 20 to assist with water supply, though crews realized upon arrival that frigid temperatures Sunday had frozen a valve shut, leaving the water unable to be dumped on the fire.  

Personnel stayed on scene to assist in additional overhaul operations while the tanker was sent back to the fire department to thaw.