Stanford Law School Suffers Fire, Then Water Damage

A small kitchen fire at Stanford Law School’s faculty kitchen was quickly taken care of, but the sprinkler system that went off as a result of the fire cause extensive water damage. The fire started when a small kitchen appliance ignited cardboard boxes full of tea. The sprinkler system is what mostly put the fire out in the kitchen.

The Palo Alto Daily News reports that the basement up to the second floor in the Law School building was affected at about 6:30 pm on Monday, April 21, 2009.

Areas of the building affected include the faculty lounge, a conference room, the school’s café, student lounge, locker room, and the electrical room in the basement. Judith Romero, a spokesperson for the law school, reported: “There is visible water damage to walls and ceiling tiles, carpets and some furniture.”

The estimates on the damages have not yet been figured out.

Law schools, like many others, are full of typical school items: books, papers, documents, and periodicals…all things that can be extensively damaged by water. Something else these items have in common is that professionals can dry and restore wet documents and wet books.