{
  "id": "2026-04-27-scad-atlanta-forty-residence-hall-fire",
  "slug": "scad-atlanta-forty-residence-hall-fire-2026-04-27",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta",
    "shortName": "SCAD Atlanta",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "private-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "SCAD Alert",
    "enrollment": 6000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2026-04-27",
    "type": "fire",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Lithium battery fire in a residence hall displaced 143 students; no injuries",
    "headlinePublic": "Lithium battery fire in a residence hall displaced 143 students; no injuries",
    "summary": "On the [afternoon of April 27, 2026](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/143-scad-atlanta-students-relocated-after-accidental-dorm-fire), a lithium battery fire sparked in a seventh-floor suite at the SCAD Atlanta Forty residence hall in Midtown Atlanta, triggering the building's sprinkler system. Though the fire was [contained to the room of origin](https://hoodline.com/2026/04/mattress-blaze-in-scad-midtown-dorm-soaks-art-meds-and-boots-150-students/), sprinkler water cascaded to floors below, causing extensive damage. [143 students were safely evacuated and immediately relocated](https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/nearly-150-scad-students-displaced-after-dorm-room-catches-fire/DWBQZO5IDRGXFMCNJXRBGD3IJA/) to other on-campus housing; no injuries were reported.",
    "outcome": "No injuries. 143 students were evacuated and relocated to other SCAD on-campus housing. Students lost clothing, medications, and irreplaceable art portfolios to smoke and water damage. Many students first learned of the evacuation via a residence hall Discord server rather than through official SCAD alerts, raising communication concerns. Students and faculty donated essential items including clothing and bedding to those displaced.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 2:30 PM EDT on April 27, 2026",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Fox 5 Atlanta, WSB-TV, and SCAD Connector reporting on the SCAD Alert issued for the Forty Residence Hall fire on April 27, 2026",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately one hour after the fire was extinguished on the afternoon of April 27, 2026",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "SCAD ALERT: Students impacted by the fire at the FORTY residence hall will be contacted by SCADhome for housing accommodations.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://scadconnector.com/2026/05/13/the-fire-at-forty-and-the-emergency-communication-students-desire-at-scad-atlanta/",
      "sourceDescription": "The Connector (SCAD Atlanta student newspaper), quoting the exact SCAD Alert SMS that students received approximately one hour after the fire at the FORTY residence hall was extinguished on April 27, 2026",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text quoted by The Connector in its May 13, 2026 investigation into SCAD Atlanta's emergency communication failures during the Forty fire; the article noted this SMS arrived roughly an hour after the fire had been extinguished",
        "This message did not confirm the all-clear or announce that the building was safe, it was a housing-logistics notification rather than a safety-status update, illustrating the gap between SCAD's alert system and students' actual information needs during the incident",
        "The Connector reported that many students first learned of the fire through a residence-hall Discord server rather than through official SCAD alerts, making this follow-up SMS the first contact many had with the official system"
      ],
      "characterCount": 127
    }
  ],
  "context": "[SCAD Atlanta](https://www.scad.edu/atlanta) is one of the main campuses of the Savannah College of Art and Design, located in Midtown Atlanta. The [Forty Residence Hall](https://hoodline.com/2026/04/mattress-blaze-in-scad-midtown-dorm-soaks-art-meds-and-boots-150-students/) is a modern high-rise dormitory housing hundreds of art and design students. On April 27, 2026, at approximately 2:30 PM EDT, a [lithium battery fire ignited in a seventh-floor suite](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/143-scad-atlanta-students-relocated-after-accidental-dorm-fire); the building's sprinkler system extinguished it before Atlanta Fire Rescue arrived. Sprinkler activation across the seventh floor caused significant water damage to floors below. [143 students were immediately evacuated and relocated to other SCAD residences](https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/nearly-150-scad-students-displaced-after-dorm-room-catches-fire/DWBQZO5IDRGXFMCNJXRBGD3IJA/). The [AJC reported that students lost not just clothing and medications but irreplaceable art portfolios](https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/05/very-emotional-scad-students-lose-mementos-portfolios-in-atlanta-dorm-fire/), the products of semesters of work, to smoke and water damage. The incident drew scrutiny of SCAD's emergency communication: [students reported learning of the evacuation via a residence hall Discord server before receiving an official alert](https://scadconnector.com/2026/05/13/the-fire-at-forty-and-the-emergency-communication-students-desire-at-scad-atlanta/), prompting calls for improved notification protocols.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Lithium battery fire on the seventh floor of Forty Residence Hall at approximately 2:30 PM EDT on April 27, 2026",
    "Building sprinklers extinguished the fire before Atlanta Fire Rescue arrived; no injuries reported",
    "Sprinkler water caused extensive damage to multiple floors below the seventh floor",
    "143 students evacuated and immediately relocated to other SCAD on-campus housing",
    "Students lost irreplaceable art portfolios, clothing, and medications to smoke and water damage",
    "Multiple students reported learning of the evacuation via a Discord server before the official SCAD Alert arrived",
    "Alumni, faculty, and staff organized donations of essential items for displaced students"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "143 SCAD Atlanta students relocated after accidental dorm fire - Fox 5 Atlanta",
      "url": "https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/143-scad-atlanta-students-relocated-after-accidental-dorm-fire",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Nearly 150 SCAD students displaced after dorm room catches fire - WSB-TV",
      "url": "https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/nearly-150-scad-students-displaced-after-dorm-room-catches-fire/DWBQZO5IDRGXFMCNJXRBGD3IJA/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Nearly 150 SCAD Students Displaced by Midtown Dorm Fire - Hoodline",
      "url": "https://hoodline.com/2026/04/mattress-blaze-in-scad-midtown-dorm-soaks-art-meds-and-boots-150-students/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Atlanta SCAD dorm fire leaves students with little but loss - AJC",
      "url": "https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/05/very-emotional-scad-students-lose-mementos-portfolios-in-atlanta-dorm-fire/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "More than 100 students impacted after fire breaks out in SCAD dorm room in Atlanta - 11Alive",
      "url": "https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/more-than-100-students-impacted-fire-breaks-out-in-scad-dorm-room-atlanta/85-578e7f8a-6212-4762-acfd-9ea8fe503262",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "The Fire at Forty and the Emergency Communication Students Desire at SCAD Atlanta - The Connector",
      "url": "https://scadconnector.com/2026/05/13/the-fire-at-forty-and-the-emergency-communication-students-desire-at-scad-atlanta/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "fire",
    "lithium-battery",
    "residence-hall",
    "sprinkler",
    "displacement",
    "georgia",
    "atlanta",
    "midtown",
    "art-school",
    "private-r2",
    "communication-failure",
    "discord"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-31",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}