$400,000 Blaze Hits USIU Student Center

A fire early Monday caused by an electrical malfunction caused heavy damage to the United States International University’s student center, authorities reported.

No one was hurt in the blaze, which broke out about 4:15 a.m. on the Scripps Ranch campus and caused $200,000 damage to the building itself and another $200,000 to items inside, fire officials said.

“It survived,” said Helen-Maria Erawan, a school spokeswoman. She said the bulk of the damage appeared to be from shattered windows, which were blown apart by the heat.

“There’s some repair work to do, but it was hardly pyrotechnics on the grand scale,” Erawan said. “It was actually fairly minor, which was a great blessing, given that it was near the (student) dorms.”

About 50 students were evacuated from the nearby Gamma Dorm, which flanks the student center, Erawan said.

The center includes a snack bar, video games and pool tables. “Now, for the students who don’t have cars, they’re kind of stuck here with nothing to do,” freshman Andrew Avery told a television interviewer.

A July, 1986, fire destroyed a USIU administration building, causing about $1 million in damage. Erawan said Monday that it has since been rebuilt.

USIU serves about 4,000 students. The financially troubled institution announced plans last month to affiliate with--and receive an infusion of cash from--a Japanese university group.