An OU student is out on bond after being charged with first degree arson in connection to a fire in Adams Center.
Richard Lee Burro, University College freshman, posted a $5,000 bond Tuesday after charges were filed in Cleveland County District Court, according to court documents.
Burro is being charged with starting the fire April 12 in the trash chute room on the fifth floor of Johnson Tower in Adams Center, according to an OU Department of Public Safety report.
After finding heavy smoke and flooding from sprinkler activation in the basement of Johnson Tower, responding officers also discovered an active fire on the fifth floor, according to the report. A one-gallon plastic gas container was found. The fuel was on fire, and there was heavy smoke in the trash chute room.
Someone had obviously attempted arson by lighting some items using the gasoline and then throwing them down the trash chute, said Darryl Troupe, a fire inspector for the Norman Fire Department. He responded to the scene because the OU fire marshal was out of town.
"Things obviously didn't go well for the assailant," Troupe said. "The smoke and flames probably became too much for him. Had he had more oxygen, he could have been killed."
The trash chute rooms are tightly sealed, so there isn't much air flow through the room, Troupe said. Because there wasn't a lot of oxygen available to fuel the fire, it was a sustained combustion that firefighters easily extinguished. Troupe said it could have been worse.
The only reason it wasn't as serious as it could have been was because of where the fire occurred, Troupe said. He also said he was shocked that bond was set at $5,000
"It was probably about as serious an arson as you can get," Troupe said. "With an attempt to take a one-gallon tank of gasoline and attempt arson in a residential area of 800 people, it could have been so much worse."
OU police had a good idea of who was responsible because of the clothing items left at the scene, Troupe said.
OU President David L. Boren said in a statement that he appreciated the cooperation between fire and law enforcement agencies that led to the quick apprehension of the person allegedly responsible for the fire.
"The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we will not tolerate the presence of anyone on our campus who poses a risk to their safety," Boren said.
A preliminary hearing conference has been set for Burro on April 22.
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