WSU working to help students displaced by fire

PULLMAN -- Washington State University is working to help students scrambling to find housing after fire ripped through scores of student apartments.

The fire early Sunday morning destroyed four buildings under construction and affects hundreds of students who had planned to live there.

Contractors said all the units had been rented for WSU's fall semester, which begins Aug. 19.

No one was hurt.  Four other apartment buildings under construction at the site were not claimed by the fire.

Housing officials at WSU contacted Campus Crest Communities, the owner of The Grove at Pullman, on how to assist students impacted by the off-campus fire.

Terry Boston, assistant vice president for administrative services, said WSU is waiting for further analysis from Campus Crest regarding what the company can and cannot offer students affected by the fire.

Boston said WSU has space available in on-campus residence halls and limited space in university-owned apartments for those displaced by the fire, and added that there should be a clearer picture in the next 24 hours of how Campus Crest and WSU will proceed and what options are available.