Brunel staff asked to donate spare rooms after fire on campus

Brunel bosses have issued an appeal for help from staff who live near campus in the wake of this week’s fire at the university.

They are asking for workers to offer their spare rooms to visiting students and staff who have been displaced as a result of the blaze.

Fire broke out at Borough Road Hall on Tuesday, resulting in the evacuation of dozens of students. Now, these students have been rehoused at the Lancaster Hotel, meaning many visiting staff and contractors have been left without anywhere to stay on campus.

The communication team at Brunel issued an email to staff today, saying: “We know that a number of staff already offer weekday rooms to other staff for a per night rental charge, and we would like to find out if any of you have vacancies, or would consider offering a spare room to a colleague in this way.”

A statement on the intranet states: “This is unfortunate, but something that we have had to do to ensure that a group of first-year students get the support they need at a very distressing time for them.”

The fire that took place on Tuesday did not result in any injuries and is believed to be due to an electrical fault.

Brunel say commercial and student services are working around the clock to ensure that the students affected by the fire are looked after. The university also had welfare officers on hand in the immediate aftermath in case extra support was needed.

*If you live close to campus and think you could offer a room for anywhere between one and four days per week, the university would like you to contact Bina Fatania (bina.fatania@brunel.ac.uk) to be put in touch with someone looking.

The hotline for concerned parents and carers is +44 (0)1895 266742.