Multiple fire companies responded to PennWest Edinboro this afternoon after an alarm alerted police to smoke and fire inside Van Houten Dining Hall.
The first units on scene at 345 Scotland Road, in the center of campus, called for additional help. The fire was reported around a boiler and hot water tank on the upper floor of the brick building.
Numerous departments, including ladder trucks, assisted in the response. Crews were able to get the fire under control quickly and shut off utilities, but significant smoke filled the dining hall.
HVAC and university maintenance teams were called in to ventilate the building.
Chris Karotko, Assistant Fire Chief with the West Lake Fire Department, said crews encountered a fire in the boiler room that was contained with a fire extinguisher, but required extensive ventilation throughout the building.
Officials say a quick response made the difference. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.