Shaw University announced on Saturday it will provide hotel accommodations to affected students after a dorm fire at Dimple Newsome Hall.
Students are asked to report to the student center to be assigned hotel and transportation accommodation.
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The dorm will remain closed until repairs are complete. The building caught fire Thursday, Feb. 5.
On Friday, Feb. 6 Shaw University provided WRAL News with a statement about the fire at Dimple Newsome Dorm.
"The university is actively arranging alternative housing accommodations for the students impacted," the university's statement reads. "The residence hall will remain closed while thorough assessments and necessary repairs are completed."
It did not set a timeline for when repairs were expected to be complete.
The Raleigh Fire Department said the fire was reported around 7:15 p.m. Thursday. The building was evacuated, and crews found a fire in a room on the third floor.
There was moderate damage to the room. The damage was confined to the third floor, according to a city spokesperson.
Firefighters believe the fire started by a space heater connected to an extension cord. The city spokesperson said the cause of the fire is not related to an electrical system.
Shaw University student Kiyree Talley explained what it was like to discover the fire on Thursday.
“I open my door, there’s smoke everywhere in the hallway,” he said. “It stings.”
Students on the scene told WRAL News the person whose room caught fire was using a space heater because the building was having heating issues.
“The rooms have no heat, so they are like freezing cold, so he probably had a heater and maybe left it on a little too long, and it caught on his sheet and it caught on the bed and everything,” said freshman student Cayden Brown.
Students said that when they attempted to pull the fire alarm, it did not work. Students said they then went door-to-door alerting people about the fire.
“There are only two RAs [resident advisors] for the entire building,” Talley said. “They had to come personally get us because there are no working fire alarms.”
An incident report stated the fire alarm system was not operational. Firefighters could not find the standpipe system, which provides immediate water access to upper levels.
A December 2025 fire safety inspection report for the building listed six violations: One of them related to the fire alarm system and another related to the standpipe system.
Shaw University student Zion Newton had lots of questions for school leaders.
“Why wasn’t this fixed? Newton said. “Why wasn’t this handled? Who’s over this?”
Newton added, “I just think it just needs to be better communication from staff to student.”WRAL News previously reported in 2024 about students going days with heat and hot water in a residence hall.
Students now say they are upset and call the living conditions unacceptable.
Shaw University leaders said in a statement they are aware of the heating and hot water issues affecting one of the dorms and are working to resolve them.
Talley told WRAL News that he’s frustrated with how the university has communicated updates for those living in the building.
“It's not easy for me to just go home and come back,” Talley said. “There are other students who live in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama [and] New York.
“They have to all go home today. There are no other options.”
On Friday, WRAL News saw students packing up cars with their belongings.
The city spokesperson said Dimple Newsome Dorm last had an inspection on Dec. 30, 2025. It was built in 1970.
WRAL asked Shaw University about safety violations. We have not yet received a response.
