Campus Alert Archive
UW

Valentine's Day Dorm Fire: Charging Base Ignites Clothing in Orr Hall, Evacuating 200+ Students at Midnight

WYfireemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At approximately 12:12 AM MST on February 14, 2023, an accidental fire broke out in room #209 of Orr Hall when an electrical charging base ignited a pile of clothing. Over 200 students were evacuated in the middle of the night. The fire was knocked down by 12:23 AM. One minor injury was reported. 30 students sheltered in the Washakie Dining Center.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Wyoming
Public R2 · WY
~11,000 studentsUW Alert
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 ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction174 chars
UW ALERT: A fire has been reported at Orr Hall. All residents must evacuate immediately. Laramie Fire Department is responding. Proceed to Washakie Dining Center for shelter.

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

Laramie Fire Department and UWPD were dispatched at approximately 12:12 AM MST on February 14, 2023
The fire was caused by an electrical charging base igniting a pile of clothing in room #209
Over 200 students were evacuated from Orr Hall in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction178 chars
UW ALERT UPDATE: The fire at Orr Hall has been extinguished. Residents will be notified when it is safe to return. 30 displaced students are sheltering at Washakie Dining Center.

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

The fire was knocked down by 12:23 AM, just 11 minutes after dispatch
30 students who could not immediately return to their rooms were sheltered in the Shoshone room at Washakie Dining Center
One minor injury was reported from the incident
Context

Background

At approximately 12:12 AM MST on February 14, 2023, an accidental fire broke out in Orr Hall at the University of Wyoming when an electrical charging base ignited a pile of clothing in room #209. Laramie Fire Department and UWPD were dispatched, and the fire was knocked down by 12:23 AM — just 11 minutes later. Wyoming Public Media reported that over 200 residents were evacuated in the middle of the night. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that 30 students were temporarily sheltered in the Shoshone room at Washakie Dining Center. One minor injury was reported. The UW Branding Iron student newspaper and Oil City News provided additional coverage. The Valentine's Day timing and midnight evacuation of 200+ students made this a memorable incident for the UW community.
Analysis

Key Findings

The fire was extinguished in 11 minutes from dispatch, an exceptionally fast response that limited damage
200+ students evacuated in the middle of the night on Valentine's Day, with 30 requiring temporary shelter at the dining center
The cause — an electrical charging base igniting clothing — highlights the fire risks of everyday devices in dormitory rooms
Outcome
The fire was extinguished by 12:23 AM, approximately 11 minutes after dispatch. One minor injury was reported. 30 students were temporarily housed in Washakie Dining Center. The cause was determined to be an electrical charging base igniting clothing.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Early morning fire at Orr Hall displaces UW students (UW News)
    uwyo.edu
  2. News
    200 Orr Hall residents evacuated after dorm room caught fire (Wyoming Public Media)
    wyomingpublicmedia.org
  3. News
    More than 200 UW students displaced after residence hall fire (Casper Star-Tribune)
    trib.com
  4. Student Paper
    Midnight fire in Orr Hall (UW Branding Iron)
    uwbrandingiron.com
  5. News
    Early morning fire at Orr Hall (Oil City News)
    oilcity.news
Tags
firedormitorywyomingmidnight-evacuationvalentines-daycharging-base200-evacuatedrapid-response
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion