Bryan NoelDark clouds of smoke pooled into the sky last week, rising high into the air in a residential neighborhood near Cal Poly.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 13, fire trucks arrived at the 400 block of Henderson Street, where a house fire began in the garage. The house was home to three Cal Poly students.
“We still are looking for housing and we don’t have anything,” business junior Ronnie Jones said.
Jones and his roommates are currently looking for housing they can share together and cannot take donations such as furniture or housing materials because they have nowhere to put them.
A malfunction of an old, small refrigerator, along with flammable liquids kept in the garage, ignited the fire that then spread to the rest of the house.
“The garage of the house was completely destroyed along with 20 percent of the house,” said San Luis Obispo Battalion Chief Warren Stephenson.
Residents of the surrounding neighborhood came out to offer their support.
“I was doing my dishes when I heard fire trucks driving past my house,” journalism sophomore Ina Saliklis said.
“When I went outside to see what was going on, I saw my neighbor’s house up in flames and smoke pouring out of it. The truck parked in the driveway was in flames as well.”
The San Luis Obispo Fire Department arrived quickly with three fire engines, a ladder truck, a Cal Fire engine, a safety officer, fire investigator and battalion chief to battle the fire.
The home was destroyed even with the fire department’s effort. None of the residents were in the house at the time.
After devastating events such as these, college students should be aware of what could potentially happen to any one of them.
“Smoke detectors are the best invention for fire protection not only preventions,” Stephenson said.
“You need to make sure they work. Renter’s insurance is also good to have.”
Renter’s insurance protects property against damage or loss and insures the renter in case someone is injured while on their property.
“We are dealing with my parent’s home insurance right now to see if we are covered. I hope we are,” Jones said.
Many students should consider the expensive items they may keep in their rooms while attending college, such as iPods, computers, bikes and even textbooks when contemplating buying rental insurance.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the premiums for renter’s insurance are between $15 and $30 per month, depending on the location and size of the rental unit and the policyholder’s possessions.
Most insurance companies will offer policies for just one renter and also policies that roommates can go in on together.
Although rental insurance may just be another expense for most college students, the cost is worth it to prevent the cost of potential damages if anything were to happen.