Early Saturday morning, a student allegedly set fire to a bulletin board in Echols House, a first-year dormitory in the McCormick Road Residence Area, leading to his arrest on the charge of arson.
At 2 a.m. Saturday, "there was a fire alarm" on the first floor of Echols, University Police Sgt. Mike Gibson said.
Investigation into the incident led to a suspect, Garrett A. McAuliffe, a first-year student and Echols resident.
McAuliffe was arrested and charged with felony arson, Gibson said.
McAuliffe allegedly set fire to a bulletin board, leaving "some burn marks on the floor," he said.
"The carpet was scorched across room 104," he added.
First-year College student and Echols resident Lauren Milburn said most students in the building "didn't feel any danger at the time [of the fire alarm] since this is the fourth time we have had a fire alarm" since January.
Earlier in the semester, the students have had to evacuate three times in two days, leading some students to believe that Saturday morning's fire alarm was most likely another false alarm, Milburn said.
She said that the incident was "handled pretty well," by police and firemen who responded.
McAuliffe "is being held in the [University Police] complex," awaiting his bond hearing on Tuesday, Gibson said.
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