Campus Alert Archive
UM

West Boiler Burns at UM Heating and Power Plant; Heavy Smoke Visible from Washington-Grizzly Stadium as Campus Briefly Loses Power

MTfireadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 13, 2025, a fire broke out in the west boiler of the University of Montana's heating and power plant on Campus Drive, generating heavy smoke visible from the nearby Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Missoula Fire Department responded with three engines, two ladder trucks, and two fire chiefs, and UM Police sent an emergency notification just after 3:30 PM MST ordering building evacuation and asking pedestrians to stay away. No one was injured and the fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes, with power restored shortly after.

Alerts
2
Response
15 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Montana
Public R2 · MT
~10,000 studentsUM Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction172 chars
UM Alert: Fire at Heating Plant (009), 110 Campus Dr. Evacuate building. Avoid the area near the heating plant. Emergency crews are responding. Updates at umt.edu/emergency

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

UM Police sent the emergency notification to the entire Missoula campus just after 3:30 PM MST on January 13, 2025, approximately 15 minutes after fire was reported at 3:16 PM
Building 009 is the Heating and Power Plant at 110 Campus Drive near Washington-Grizzly Stadium at the University of Montana
Heavy smoke billowing from the building was visible from across the southern part of campus including the stadium
The plant had been recently upgraded -- the fire struck the west boiler unit, one of two boiler heating units in the facility
ALL CLEARSMS+29 min
Approximate reconstruction203 chars
UM Alert Update: The all clear has been given for the heating plant fire. Emergency crews remain on scene. Campus power outages reported during the incident are being restored. No injuries were reported.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

All-clear issued approximately 30 minutes after the fire began, around 4:00 PM MST on January 13, 2025
Engineers shut off gas and electrical power to the affected area with assistance from Missoula Fire, accelerating containment
Northwestern Energy worked to restore scattered campus power outages caused when electrical systems were shut down during firefighting
Missoula Fire Department estimated damage at approximately $30,000, consistent with a contained boiler fire not reaching structural elements
Context

Background

At 3:16 PM MST on Monday, January 13, 2025, the Missoula Fire Department received reports of fire and heavy smoke at the University of Montana's Heating and Power Plant at 110 Campus Drive. NBC Montana reported that fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke and heat coming from the west boiler, one of two boiler heating units in the facility. The plant had been recently upgraded as part of UM's energy modernization program. Montana Public Radio reported that UM Police sent an emergency notification to the entire campus just after 3:30 PM, directing people to evacuate the heating plant building and avoid the area, which is close to Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Three engines, two ladder trucks, a command truck, and two fire chiefs responded. KPAX reported that engineers shut off gas and electrical power with firefighters' assistance, which accelerated containment. The fire was knocked down in approximately 30 minutes and the all-clear was given around 4:00 PM. No injuries were reported. Northwestern Energy restored scattered power outages on campus. The Missoula Fire Department estimated damage at approximately $30,000.
Analysis

Key Findings

The University of Montana's recently upgraded heating plant caught fire in its west boiler unit within a short period after renovation, suggesting possible installation or equipment issues
UM Police issued a campus-wide emergency notification approximately 15 minutes after the fire was first reported, a response time consistent with Clery Act emergency-notification best practices
Engineers' rapid shutoff of gas and electrical power to the affected boiler area was credited with enabling quick fire containment
The proximity of the heating plant to Washington-Grizzly Stadium meant heavy smoke was visible across a large portion of campus, creating alarm before communications reached all campus members
Outcome
No injuries. Fire extinguished within approximately 30 minutes. Brief campus power outage restored by Northwestern Energy. Damage estimated at approximately $30,000. Plant's recently upgraded boiler system suffered damage to the west boiler unit.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UM heating plant fire prompts brief evacuation (Montana Public Radio)
    mtpr.org
  2. News
    Fire knocked down at UM campus (NBC Montana)
    nbcmontana.com
  3. News
    Crews respond to fire at University of Montana power plant (KPAX)
    kpax.com
  4. News
    University of Montana heating plant catches fire (Missoulian)
    missoulian.com
Tags
fireheating-plantboiler-fireinfrastructure-failuremontanacampus-power-outageno-injuriesmissoula
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion