University officials deemed the post-Carolina-game bonfire a success, noting that only one individual sustained minor injuries. But their figures were slightly inaccurate; the flames may have slain a tree.
The Jan. 27 bonfire following the men's basketball team's win over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was mistakenly positioned under the now-blackened branches of the large oak in front of House P. Fifty feet closer to the retention wall of Clocktower Quad, and the tree would have been safe.
"[The fire is] probably going to kill this tree, but what are you going to do?" noted Duke University police officer Michael Carden said, as flames slowly inched toward the tree during the celebration.
William Boten, fire and safety manager, said his department and the Durham fire marshals wanted the celebration to occur at the very middle of the West Union quad. "The initial benches were placed 50 feet off-center," he said. "We [had initially] asked that they would go nearer the [retaining] wall [between the main quad and the Clocktower quad] and further from the tree."
Boten also said the fire marshals granted the permit on the condition that the height of the bonfire not exceed eight feet. Laughing, he said, "We exceeded that somewhat."
Joseph Jackson, assistant director for grounds and sanitation, said he is not sure if the tree has been seriously hurt by the bonfire. "We really can't tell yet... It's in a dormant state. When it tries to leaf, then we'll be able to assess."
Jackson said if Grounds and Facilities Management determines later this spring that the tree is in a state of decline, grounds officials will prune the limbs before they begin falling off. "The extreme last option is removal," he said. "We don't want anything like a safety hazard for the quad users."
Grounds and Facilities Management were not consulted in choosing the bonfire's location, he said. Jackson said his department's role is to make the bonfire as convenient as possible for the students once a bonfire site is chosen.
Duke Student Government Vice President of Facilities and Athletic Affairs Amir Rashid-Farokhi called the singeing of the tree unfortunate. "In the future, we may want to consider what the side effects to the physical campus will be," said Rashid-Farokhi, a Trinity junior. "It is of utmost importance to maintain the relative spontaneity of post-game celebrations."
Boten agreed. "In the future, hopefully they'll consider the tree," he said. "If we keep building the bonfire near the tree, we'll end up destroying it."
DSG President Jeri Powell, a Trinity senior, said that although she is concerned about the height of the fire, "[DSG feels] the bonfire went as well as we had hoped, and we feel very positively about it." Powell does not anticipate any major bonfire policy changes in the near future.
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