An unidentified male resident of the Lewisburg community used a fire extinguisher to set off the alarm in Larison Hall at 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 31. The suspect has since been arrested. 

There was speculation that the suspect entered Larison Hall uninvited, but Public Safety has since confirmed that a student invited him.

According to student sources, residents were kept outside the building for approximately 10 minutes, accompanied by Public Safety officers. Residents reported being scared and confused during the situation.

“It was terrifying. Around 2:30 the fire alarm goes off, and I banged on my neighbor’s wall. I started hearing pounding footsteps, and people screaming, doors slamming. I opened my door and it was filled with smoke. My first reaction was, ‘Oh my God, the building is on fire,’” Katie Sidlowski ’18 said. 

“No one really knew what was going on but I knew something strange had happened when I ran down the stairs and swallowed a mouthful of smoke. Public Safety arrived right away and informed us that a non-Bucknell student had gotten into our building,” Caroline Barker ’18 said.