Fires at a Grand Canyon University apartment were investigated as possible arson

PHOENIX (AZ family) — Two small fires at a Grand Canyon University apartment building left more than 20 students homeless.

Police say firefighters arrived at the scene just after 9:20 a.m. Sunday.

GCU sent students emails saying the reported crime was arson and the suspects were unknown.

Officers say they are still investigating, but the scene indicated it was likely the fires were the result of arson.

“I won’t lie, there’s a fire alarm every week. Every week,” said student Elias Murrell.

“I thought it would be a normal day, like someone didn’t know how to cook,” said Logan Martinez, another student.

Students told Arizonas that cooking mishaps often set off fire alarms in on-campus dorms and apartments.

“It was a little surprising, I won’t lie. I mean, college students do stupid things all the time, but arson is never okay. Especially for something this serious,” Murrell said.

Police said that although the fire was quickly extinguished, the real damage was caused by the sprinkler system.

Martinez is one of the students staying at Agave Apartments who was forced to evacuate and relocate.

“I like to feel safe in my own room, and that’s not the case right now. They don’t even know who it is,” Martinez said.

GCU said all students were evacuated from the building and those whose rooms were not affected were allowed to return later in the day.

However, GCU added that six apartments, each with four bedrooms, suffered water damage as crews extinguished the fires.

As a result, approximately 24 students had to be moved to other rooms on campus.

Martinez said it’s a stressful situation due to mid-term deadlines for other projects.

He said he was currently staying in a room with three other men and had no idea when he would be able to return to his apartment.

Martinez said the school gave him a $3 laundry voucher.

“I’m just trying to finish my degree, but it’s hard,” he said.

He hopes the school will improve student accommodation in such cases if it happens again.

Most importantly, Martinez and other students want the case resolved quickly.

“I hope the university will keep us safe, find people, find the suspect (and) get him out of here, honestly,” he said.

Several other students told the Arizona family that GCU has good protocol for transparency and communication with students in emergency situations.

Phoenix police said the Phoenix Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Task Force has taken over the investigation. They are cooperating with GCU police and GCU administrators in connection with the investigation.

No arrests have been made.

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