Around 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, the fire alarm in Mississippi State University’s Oak Residence Hall went off because a portion of a sofa in room A-309 on the third floor was on fire due to a burning candle kept in close proximity. Firefighters from station one and station four of the Starkville Fire Department reached the spot within seven minutes and worked to douse the fire.
A firefighter who worked on the operation said the fire was put out immediately, but the smoke generated from the fire was considerable.
“The fire ain’t that big. The smoke was bad,” he said.
The MSU administration responded immediately by alerting students through the Maroon Alert system and social media pages. The first post from MSU was around 8:45 p.m. on Facebook. The post read, “Fire tonight at Oak Hall, 3rd floor. No injuries. University administration now securing temporary housing for 198 students.”
Students were temporarily moved out of Oak Hall to nearby residence halls until the university officials got an all-clear from the fire fighters. Later, around 9:35 p.m. in the evening, students were asked to enter Oak Hall, and a section of the facility which was damaged by water leakage and smoke damage was only accessed for taking the necessary belongings for the night.
A housing facilities staff member at 11: 35 p.m. said their team had been working since 8:30 p.m. that evening to bring Oak Hall under normal operating conditions. Vacuuming the water leaking on the corridors of the second floor through the ceiling, re-directing students back and forth and assisting students with their belongings were some of the duties the team performed.
Several MSU police officials were seen at the front door of Oak Hall coordinating with Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois and firefighters.
The MSU administration then made arrangements at local hotels for the night. At this time, one female student, who wanted to remain anonymous said she appreciated the concern shown by the MSU officials.
“I love the fact that President Keenum and his team are here working to resolve the issue, but it is going to be a long night for all of us,” she said.
Molly Redfern, a freshman who lives exactly below the room in which the incident took place, said there was water leaking in her room. She said there were different arrangements made for the night for different people at various hotels.
In a tweet later that night, Redfern said, “When housing makes me move back into Oak, three days later, room above me is on fire and everything in my room is drowned in water. #newmacbook.”
In a press release made on Sunday, MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Broyles said “Burning candles in residence hall rooms are a violation of MSU Housing policy. The fire suppression system engaged in Oak Hall exactly as it was designed to do. We’re grateful to be able to report that we had no injuries,” he said.
President Keenum, along with other MSU officials, rushed to the spot and addressed female students in an attempt to reiterate plans for the night. MSU released a picture late on Sunday night of Keenum speaking to a group of students.
The caption of the photo read, “Female students impacted by the Oak Hall fire were able to speak with MSU President Mark Keenum about their concerns, questions on how to proceed after the fire. Keenum shared details on housing for tonight, plus plans to help them assimilate into vacant campus housing beginning tomorrow. Keenum said the university would give excused absences, if necessary, to students impacted by the fire for Monday classes.”
“We’re actively engaged in doing everything possible to help these students deal with this very stressful event,” Keenum said in a press release.
Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert, contacted all academic department heads Monday morning,  asking excused absences be granted for students affected by the fire.
As noted by some professors, a large amount of students remained absent for classes on Monday morning. Thomas Carskadon had 57 students absent in his general psychology class at 9 a.m. Attendance was considerably low in other classes as well.
MSU made an updated statement Monday morning that said, “MSU Director of Procurement and Contracts Don Buffum immediately secured a number of rooms at Starkville’s La Quinta Inn, located in close proximity to the university on Mississippi Hwy. 12 East. The university also has added the local hotel to its transit system as a regular shuttle stop while students are housed there.”
According to the updated press release, “Sunday night, 73 women slept at La Quinta Inn, 64 women slept at other off-campus locations and two women stayed at the university’s Butler Guest House. Women housed on the fourth floor of Oak Hall chose to stay in their own rooms after officials determined no damage was sustained at that level and gave an all-clear,” the release said. 
Within the release, Bill Broyles said about 27 rooms will remain uninhabitable for an extended period of time.
 “The university is working to make an insurance claim and begin repairs immediately,” he said.
After further assessment of the situation the university made a press release late on Monday. 
It said, “Only one wing of the two-wing residence hall was affected, and most of the displaced students will be able to return to their rooms before the weekend; however, about 30 double-occupancy rooms will require more extensive repairs and will remain unavailable to about 60 affected students for approximately a month, officials estimate.”
It further said Broyles emphasized there are enough on-campus beds available to immediately accommodate students who wish to remain in residence halls.
“We are trying to accommodate these students who are being inconvenienced through no fault of their own, and we have come up with three options that we believe will meet the variety of student needs and preferences,” Broyles said. “On campus housing is available to any student who prefers that option, although roommates may be temporarily separated. Hotel spaces are being secured by the university, and we are providing transportation to and from the university through our shuttle system. We also will assist students who want to find off-campus apartments.”
The affected students will also have the option of early termination of their campus housing contracts if they choose to relocate to an apartment or sorority house space instead, according to MSU.
A properties fair has been organized Tuesday morning for students to choose from a variety of different housing options who may agree for a lease from October to May.