Last Friday morning, IC's resident assistants were treated to a graphic demonstration of the dangers that fires pose in residence halls.

The Ithaca fire department was on hand to host a controlled burn of what might pass for a typical dorm room. Thanks to a grant from the Ithaca Landlords Association, a special "burn pod" was assembled and stocked with furniture, such as a chair, desk, clothes, a tapestry, and so forth.

After some remarks about the importance of fire safety from Tim Ryan, environmental health and safety manager at Ithaca College, and deputy fire chief Tom Parsons, the real fun began. Parsons dropped a lit votive candle into a garbage can full of papers and newspapers and let nature take its course.

Within a minute, the room had caught fire in dramatic fashion. And within seven minutes, the entire pod was ablaze, top to bottom. City firefighters were on standby from the first moment, ready to step in and hose out the flames.

Check out the photo gallery at right to see a time-lapse series of pictures.