Maple Hall residents were forced to evacuate three times during a record-breaking blizzard on the morning of Feb. 23, after fire alarms sounded roughly an hour apart. The first alarm went off around 9:30 a.m., and students initially remained inside their rooms as the building’s exterior doors were stuck shut by heavy snow. With snow not yet plowed or shoveled around Maple, some residents said the delay and blocked exits raised immediate safety concerns. Soon after, residents were instructed to evacuate and make their way to the Center for Student Development (CSD), where students packed in to wait out the situation.

The trip to CSD, however, was difficult and hazardous for many. Sidewalks were barely cleared, forcing students to trudge through deep snow, and several reported slipping on ice along the way. After some time in CSD, residents were permitted to return to Maple—only for a second fire alarm to sound around 10:30 a.m., prompting students to repeat the same process again in worsening conditions. Later that night, around 7 p.m., another alarm sounded off and the pattern continued. As of now, resident assistants have not been told what caused either alarm, and no official explanation has been shared with residents.