Elevator fire reported at Winthrop’s Byrnes Auditorium

Firefighters extinguished a small fire in an elevator motor at Winthrop University Monday morning.

Smoke was reported in Byrnes Auditorium just before 8 a.m., according to Battalion Chief Otis Driggers of the Rock Hill Fire Department. Three engines and a ladder truck responded and found a small fire in an elevator motor.

The fire was extinguished but caused some damage, Driggers said.

Winthrop officials sent this message to the campus: “Earlier this morning a malfunction of the elevator motor in the elevator equipment room of the Conservatory of Music resulted in a small fire. The fire was immediately extinguished and caused no injuries. As a precaution, the building was evacuated until the smoke had cleared. After an inspection by Winthrop Facilities Management personnel and the Rock Hill Fire Department, the building was reopened and classes resumed. Facilities Management personnel have begun work to get the elevator operational. There is a residual odor that is being addressed by air scrubbers.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Elevator fire reported at Winthrop’s Byrnes Auditorium."