A fire at Stanford University’s Crothers Hall displaced 20 students after an activated sprinkler caused water damage in approximately 12 rooms, according to The Stanford Daily.
The fire in an upper-floor dorm room triggered the alarm and a sprinkler around 2:23 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, the newspaper reported. The sprinkler extinguished the flames, but water spread into nearby rooms and rooms below.
Palo Alto Fire Department Battalion Chief Ryan Stoddard told The Daily that firefighters stopped the water flow and brought in another crew to help limit the damage. Residents were allowed back into the building around 2:43 a.m., although some had to wait longer to enter affected rooms.
Stanford spokesperson Luisa Rapport told the newspaper that the university was investigating the cause.
The Daily’s Oct. 21 report said Stanford had installed fans to dry affected spaces. Rapport said the university’s housing and residential education offices were providing alternative accommodations and support to affected students.
Firefighters left around 4:22 a.m. after replacing the activated sprinkler head and restoring the building’s fire suppression and alarm systems, Stoddard told The Daily.
Stanford’s 2026-27 residence policies prohibit smoking inside residences, as well as candles and other open-flame devices in and around residential buildings.
