A small fire in the roof over Union’s wood kiln was put out quickly by the Jackson Fire Department late Saturday night.
All students were unharmed, and the kiln had already reached the temperature needed to correctly fire the pots inside.
Art students had been running the wood kiln, which requires constant supervision and maintenance while firing. The kiln is located by Facilities Management.
Megan Peden, senior art major, said she thought heat from the chimney resulted in the old and dry beam catching fire. She said the fire department was called at around 10:40 and they responded within minutes.
Peden said the art students would probably have to stop the kiln. Even though the ceramics within have reached the correct temperature, the art students had planned to use salt and baking soda to create a particular effect.
“That’s just an element of it that’s not going to be there,” Peden said. “It won’t be as developed.”
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Peden called the fire department. The article was updated Nov. 10 to correct the error.
