Early on March 6, as the University was shut down due to the snow, Waldo Hall experienced a small fire in one of its dorms. The fire started at 3:57 am when a candle lit by a student resident ignited a bed and part of the floor.

Lieutenant Cieslewicz of the Garden City Fire Department told the Delphian that, "as far as I know it [the fire] is currently under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshals." According to Adelphi's Director of Public Safety, Donald Barto, the fire was put out quickly, and no one was severely hurt thanks to the fast working sprinkler systems. One student was injured slightly on the arm and hand. Lieutenant Cieslewicz stated that "the injured student was transported immediately to Winthrop Hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries." He said that a security officer was transported to the hospital as well.

Fortunately, the fire did not spread past the one room and only minor damage to the adjoining rooms was reported. According to those who have seen the dorm room since the fire, the bed and floor sustained the most damage.

In a campus wide E-mail President Robert A. Scott, said that, "Fortunately also, the sprinklers and alarms and all the mechanical systems we have in place worked quickly and as they should. Most fortunate of all, the three members of the security staff who were on duty at that hour acted swiftly and with courage, helping students to evacuate the building."

At 4:01 am the Garden City Fire Department, headed by Chief Nedelka, arrived on campus to attend to both the fire and the injured student. As the fire was in the process of being extinguished, students in other dorms on campus took in their fellow students. While some students living in the dorm rooms were woken up in the early morning, other students say they didn't even realize there was a fire.

One student, Larry Mohrmann, said, "All I know is that the sprinklers went off." There were reports of some flooding. Scott also said in his E-mail, "I know that students sometimes wonder about, and chafe under, the safety restrictions we enforce in residential life here on campus. This event, which could have been so much worse, makes it clear for all of us, students and staff alike, why we must observe the rules that govern each other's physical safety and well being. Fire is frightening and can be deadly. Please observe fire safety rules."

According to the Office of Residential Life and Housing, students are prohibited from having candles, incense or explosives in their rooms.