DUPD, fire department investigate Edens fire, classify it 'unintentional'

Last Thursday morning, the pavilion behind Edens 2C was on fire, wrote Shelvis Ponds Jr., residence coordinator for Edens Quad, in an email to Edens residents.

Joe Gonzalez, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean for residential life, wrote in an email Monday that the fire caused "very little damage." Ponds noted last Thursday that the fire may have been an "intentional act."

"As you may already know, setting things on fire on campus (or almost anywhere in N.C.) is an illegal offense that has consequences," he wrote.

However, Gonzalez's Monday email noted something different.

"Last report indicates the fire was unintentional," he wrote, adding that it was investigated by the Durham Fire Department and Duke University Police Department.

This isn't the first fire on West this academic year. In December, a fire in Few forced students to evacuate during finals week.

Likhitha Butchireddygari contributed reporting.