Security Officers Hospitalized After Fire at FDU Campus

Two Fairleigh Dickinson University public safety officers were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at a University building Tuesday night, according to police and campus officials.

An alarm came in around 7 p.m. reporting a fire in the second floor of Becton Hall on FDU’s Teaneck campus, authorities said. The FDU security officers were not seriously hurt, but taken to an area hospital for treatment.

University spokeswoman Dina Schipper said no FDU students or other staff were injured and Becton Hall was closed over the summer for renovations. Schipper did not immediately have an upate on the condition of the two officers late Tuesday.

“The fire was quickly contained and extinguished. Smoke throughout the building was extensive and the extent of damage cannot be ascertained at this time,” the University said in a statement.

Workers were in the building clearing asbestos when the fire sparked, but officials had not yet determined the cause of the fire, police said.

Several witnesses posted to Twitter describing an explosion and said they saw broken windows on the second floor. 

The fire would not have any impact on planned campus events, Schipper said.