Duke got burned Thursday, seemingly before the smoke even cleared, as Durham City Fire Marshal Ken Crews extinguished any hopes of official post-game bonfires for the remainder of Duke’s basketball season.
Fire marshals refused to reinstate the bonfire permits they revoked after students stacked too many West Campus benches during the blaze after the men’s basketball team’s victory over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Feb. 9.
After officials from Duke University Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs failed to win Crews over at a meeting Thursday afternoon, student leaders rushed to organize an alternative way for students to celebrate if the Blue Devils beat Wake Forest University in Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday.
DUPD Chief Clarence Birkhead said he hopes to regain the permits first revoked after the UNC game with a better bonfire strategy—possibly in time for the NCAA Tournament in March.
“We had to apply for the permit, and an agreement [with fire officials] may be a bit of a stretch, but we certainly have to support the decision that the fire marshal made,” Birkhead said. “We talked about it, we looked at alternatives and we asked for the opportunity to enhance our plan. We did not do a good enough job convincing them.”
The permits obtained by the University for the UNC, Wake Forest and NCAA men’s and women’s championship games state that the bonfire’s height should stand no more than three benches high, but as many as 11 benches of multiple sizes were in the fire last week before firemen put it out, just 45 minutes after it was lit.
“[The benches] could collapse on the students. You run the risk of it falling on the students or something like that,” Crews said. “You don’t know what way a bench might fall when you build them up high.”
Junior Paul Koepke sent an e-mail Thursday that circulated to University administrators insisting that students were confused as to whether the permit mandates a height of three benches or merely a total of three in the fire at a time. Koepke also said police and fire marshals at the UNC bonfire did not take into account the new six-foot benches lining the Main West Quadrangle along with the approved, more traditional 12-foot benches.
“We all thought, ‘These are small benches and this is half the wood, so let’s throw ’em on,’” Koepke said. “Maybe the permit has not taken that into account.”
Birkhead said there would be increased security to discourage impromptu bonfires after the Wake game. Duke Student Government President Pasha Majdi said DSG would organize an alternative celebration by Saturday given the high risks involved now that students can be arrested for starting illegal bonfires. Majdi blamed the loss of the permit on the city’s lack of communication with Duke administrators.
The last time Duke lost its permit was in January 2001 after students ignited an unauthorized bonfire after a win over the University of Maryland. That permit was reinstated after a few days.
After negotiations broke down Thursday, Birkhead said he would reconvene Duke officials and students to assemble a new strategy as soon as possible.
“Our plan is a living document, so we’re constantly looking toward change,” he said. “We want to hear from all the stakeholders as to how we can hopefully restore this tradition, if not this season than certainly next.”
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