Spring Weekend Kicks Off

A dumpster fire marked the beginning of Spring Weekend Wednesday night at Willington Oaks Apartments, drawing throngs of drunken, curious students to circle the flames.

The dumpster caught fire around 12:30 a.m., and Resident State Trooper Mark Gendron said that it was suspected that a student had started the flames.

Firefighters arrived about 15 minutes after the fire started, and the fire was put out shortly after 1 a.m.

At first, the crowd was enthralled by the fire, and then the noise reduced from jubilant cries and thumping music to shocked murmurs. Then one student stepped up to yell at the top of his lungs, "UConn!" He was met with a chorus of "Huskies."

Partiers responded to the fire by throwing objects such as sticks and beer cans into the dumpster.

Many tried to get close to the fire to take pictures or throw things, and police had to work aggressively to keep them a safe distance from the dumpster. Officers threatened with batons, yelled for people to go home and shoved back a few curious onlookers.

Police could not count the number of people at Willington Oaks Wednesday night, but Gendron estimated there to be hundreds.

Before the fire, the partying had been very restrained. There were no arrests or major disturbances. Gendron had described the behavior as "outstanding" and "really good." No one seemed to believe that any chaos would emerge - at the start of the night, there was only one officer on duty, and the only precaution the Willington Oaks management had taken was a car stop to ensure that only residents were allowed to park there.

Deputy Fire Chief Dick Claus said that the fire easily could have spread if left unattended.

"With these fire conditions, all the dry leaves and the lack of water in the vicinity, there's a good chance this fire would have gotten worse," he said. "What can you say? It's Spring Weekend. A lot of people did come up to me and apologize for how they acted, but it's all part of the job."

Claus said that fire marshals would investigate the fire on Thursday and try to determine whether it was intentional or an accident.

After the fire, all students were herded into their homes and out of the apartment complex.

Tyler Jay, a 4th-semester political science major, summed up the fire.

"It was really irresponsible," he said, "but it was a great way to kick off Spring Weekend."

Contact Christopher Duray at

Christopher.Duray@UConn.edu.