By Brenna Angel
LEXINGTON, Ky. – With thousands of college students back on campus for the fall semester, state officials are spreading the word about fire safety in student housing. Kentucky Fire Marshal Bill Swope was in Lexington Monday for the proclamation of September as campus fire safety month.
"We feel like if we can reach the college-age students now, hopefully they will carry those attitudes and behaviors into the future. So in addition to having safe college campuses, they will carry that mindset into their futures and we'll have safe homes all across America as they go into their adulthood."
According to the publication "Campus Fire Watch," 140 people across the United States have died in campus-related fires since 2000. Swope says the risk of fire is higher in off-campus housing, which does not fall under regulations or inspections typically seen in dormitories.