Fire at Southern Adventist University claims a life

Kelly Weimer of Woodridge, Illinois, a junior at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee died Tuesday in a fire in her dormitory.

Smoke detectors sounded about 4 a.m. in Thatcher Hall on the campus, which was in the midst of final exams. A fire had started in a kitchenette and laundry room on the third floor, university President Gordon Bietz said in a written statement.

Kelly Weimer was only fatality
Chicago Tribune photo

More than 500 residents of the dorm were evacuated by firefighters, who used a ladder truck to rescue two students from a third-floor window, according to a release from the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department. Bietz said the body of Weimer, 20, was found on the third floor.

"This has been the most difficult day of my presidency here at Southern Adventist University," he said. He greeted Weimer's parents, grandparents and an aunt, who flew in Tuesday and visited with the medical examiner.

More details at the Southern University web site here. Story from TV9 News in Chattanooga, Tennessee here and from the Chicago Tribune here.