The Eugene Fire Department and Eugene Police Department responded to several reports of fires all around Eugene last night.
Four fires were put out after 9 p.m., right after the Championship game ended, according to Communications Director and Public Information Officer for the UOPD Kelly Mclver. The first was at 9:25 p.m., where a sock and some grass was lit ablaze on a brick surface outside of LLC North near Earl and was extinguished quickly.
Residents were forced to put out a backyard bonfire at 10:11 p.m off-campus on Villard Street south of 15th Avenue after being contacted by officers. A couch was set on fire off-campus at 19th Avenue and Onyx Street, and a police officer used a fire extinguisher to snuff it out. Both the fire and police departments responded to the report.
Finally, a chair was reported on fire in alley off-campus near Alder Street and 16th Avenue at 11:15 p.m. and was extinguished on authorities’ arrival.
The incidents can easily be correlated to the national championship loss because of the close vicinity to the university and immediacy after the loss, according to Melinda McLaughlin, public information office for Eugene Police.
The only other notable incidents last night, aside from the fires, were a warrant arrest off-campus for failure to appear, an incident of trespassing, an individual taken into custody at 7-Eleven on Broadway Street and the transportation of an individual to Lane County Jail. McIver wasn’t able to comment on the arrest, but did say that the night wasn’t especially raucous.
“Except for the fires, a pretty quiet evening,” said Mclver.