Fire at Boomer's
- Jack Ruderman
- Nov 14, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Franklin, MA — It was a little past 5:30pm on a normal Friday night here at Dean College as the students on campus were doing their usual friday night activities. All of a sudden, there was a fire that burst out of the Paula M. Rooney Student Center which caused the Franklin Police and Fire Department to be dispatched to the institution in response to the incident.
From what unraveled during the chilly, windy, cool evening was emerging into flames. The billowing cloud like smoke started from the basement of Boomers which is against the Atrium and began to rise upwards in the direction of Emmons Street where the other half of the action was taking place.
From the start of this emergency, there was a couple who drove through the driveway that is situated between Woodward Hall and Ray House which they were lost in direction. Then after the students were jeering, they seemed to be unfazed like nothing ever happened. Fortunately, there were approximately four Campus Safety Officers from Dean College as well as three firefighters from the FFD who were seen getting the job done while in action. As the incident kept raging on inside the building, one of the law enforcement officials said it is probably going to be at least another few hours until the fire inspector arrives at the scene before final approval for the building that is heavily relied on a daily basis. One of the students, Sophie Hunter, who was present at the time of the response, said, “this is the Dean Difference” as a way to lighten up the situation.
After hearing Matthew Harkey, the residential assistant of Dean Hall, he mentioned that “You should probably find some alternative dining options” when talking about the food services such as Boomers here on campus, where the occurrence happened within the timeline of events. “Since Boomers and the dining hall are technically connected, it will be closed for tonight” in reference to situation. In collaboration with Harkey this evening was Matthew Scipioni, the residential director of Dean Hall, Alumni Memorial Hall, and Ewen Hall. His primary responsibility was ensuring that the students remained safe from the fire that unveiled itself.
As of right now, the incident is still under investigation which means that everyone is prohibited from entering the space at this time. If there are any more emergencies that occur, then students are urged to contact Campus Police at (508) 541-1888.
