Erie, Pa. -- The fire that destroyed the Gazebo at Dobbins and did heavy damage to the adjoining Dobbins Dining Hall at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, early Tuesday morning has been deemed accidental, believed to be caused by an electrical problem in the Gazebo, fire officials said today (March 3) in their initial findings. The fire marshal’s official report will be released in about four weeks. There were no injuries.
The fire, which was reported at about 11:30 p.m. on March 1, destroyed the Gazebo at Dobbins, which served as part of the seating area for the dining hall. Officials plan to raze the gazebo as soon as possible.
The remainder of Dobbins, including the dining hall’s kitchen and main seating areas, has been rendered unusable for the foreseeable future. While these parts of the building were damaged by smoke and water, they appear to be salvageable. Much of this area was part of the college’s $7.5 million renovation project, which was underway at the time of the fire. Officials are working with contractors to determine a revised timeline for the renovation. The goal remains to have the renovation completed prior to the fall 2010 semester.
Dobbins Dining Hall, Penn State Behrend’s primary all-you-care-to-eat cafeteria, served 300 students for lunch each day, and twice that number at dinner. Students are now being served in McGarvey Commons in the college’s Reed Union Building. A limited menu was available beginning with breakfast on March 2, just hours after the fire.
Officials plan to move the temporary dining facilities to nearby Erie Hall when students return from spring break on March 15. The University’s spring break is March 8 to 12.
No other campus operations, including classes and food service in Bruno’s Cafe, were interrupted by the fire.