A laser cutting machine caught fire in a fabrication lab in Givens Hall Monday, Oct. 22.

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Givens Hall, home to the Washington University College of Architecture and studios, was the site of a fire in a fabrication lab Monday, Oct. 22. The fire, which was started when two graduate students were working in the early hours of Monday morning, caused a hallway to close.

The fire started when two graduate architecture students were working in the lab. Clayton Fire Department officials were called at 6:37 a.m., and extinguished the small fire shortly after arriving.

The two students, along with twenty others in the building, evacuated safely. No one was injured.

According to Katherine Welsch, the director of communications at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Director of Communications, Givens Hall is open for regular use excluding two labs.

“In addition to the laser cutter, some mechanical systems and exhaust ducting were damaged. The lab where the fire originated, as well as an adjacent lab, are currently closed for cleanup and repair. All other facilities in Givens Hall are open as usual. We do not yet have cost estimates for the damage,” Welsch wrote in an email to Student Life.

First-year architecture student Mic Ma said that students have not received information about when the laser cutters will be reopened for students.

“We haven’t received any information from professors about when we can use the laser cutters again. I think our school will probably order more laser cutters from other companies,” Mic Ma said. “The laser cutter area is blocked as well as the balcony, so we cannot go through the hallway, which originally connected us from Givens to Steinberg. Instead, I have to climb up the stairs, which makes me tired.”

First-year architecture students Andy Entis and Xiaowen Ma expressed their relief that no one was injured in the fire.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt and only a small part of the building was affected. As a freshman architecture student, this is not the end of the world for me, but I feel bad for older students who are trying to do intricate projects that now have one less resource,” Entis said.

“I felt good that no one was injured, but I felt terrible about the damage caused by the fire,” Xiaowen Ma said. “I heard that the two students were focusing on something else when leaving the laser cutters on, which led to a fire. Though it is a little inconvenient due to the closed hallway, I am still relieved to see no one got injured and our classes are not affected.”

The University is still investigating the incident.

Editor’s Note: The interview with Xiaowen Ma was conducted in Chinese and translated into English by the reporter.