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West Virginia University Fires & Football
Students at West Virginia University often celebrate
exhilarating football victories and mourn heartbreaking defeats the
same way: by setting the streets of Morgantown on fire.
Twice in less than 12 months, streets in the low-rent,
student-dominated neighborhood of Sunnyside filled with a smoky
haze as students burned couches, garbage and anything they could
find after nationally televised weeknight football games.
So, on the eve of West Virginia's biggest home football game of
the season, Wednesday night's nationally televised contest against
No. 3 Virginia Tech, Morgantown officials are spraying cold water
on the 20-year-old tradition.
The fires "have taken on a life of their own," Morgantown Fire
Chief David Fetty said Monday. "The games continue to be a
catalyst, but they're not the only catalyst. ... I don't understand
it, and I don't condone it, but those are the facts."
Firefighters were issuing more than 200 citations Monday and
Tuesday to residents with fire hazards outside their homes,
including excessive garbage and couches on porches, Fetty said.
Violators refusing to comply face $1,000 fines, and city workers
have been ordered to remove hazardous items, he said.
Most citations were issued in Sunnyside and along High Street,
the downtown avenue upon which many fraternity and sorority houses
are located, he said.
WVU student Alex Matzureff, a graduate student in secondary
education and history, said Morgantown has been frenzied all week -
so frenzied that his economics professor pleaded with his class
Monday to preserve the town.
"He said 'Whatever you do, don't burn down Morgantown. We want
to have someplace left when we go to class Thursday,"' Matzureff
said.
Steve Hill, who runs a used furniture store, said he once sold
five sofas during a weekend marked by couch fires.
"A lot of times, they burn everything in sight," Hill said.
Students typically don't purchase couches specifically to burn
them, Hill said. Instead, they ignite their existing sofas, then
purchase replacements.
The pyromaniacal practice began about 20 years ago with large
bonfires in Sunnyside after football games, Fetty said. As bars
closed in the dilapidated neighborhood the locals call
"Scummyside," the fires spread to downtown, he said.
Now the blazes are more frequent but not as intense, the chief
said. Most recently, rowdy students set couches and garbage in
Sunnyside aflame after WVU's 21-18 win over Virginia Tech last
November and after the Mountaineers' 22-20 loss to No. 2 Miami on
Oct. 2.
Since 1997, more than 900 fires have been set in town, Fetty
said.
"The Sunnyside tradition continues," Fetty said sarcastically.
Ken Gray, WVU's vice president for student affairs, said that
this week local fire, police and university officials are standing
united in a zero-tolerance policy against fires and destruction of
property.
WVU officials have been pleading with students and fans to act
responsibly.
Coach Rich Rodriguez left recorded messages on some people's
answering machines, taped a video message to be shown on the
stadium's scoreboard and made other requests through the media,
imploring fans to behave.
Wednesday night's Big East contest is WVU's first home night
game since August 2002 and the school's first nationally televised
home night game since a Maryland-WVU game Sept. 19, 1998, when
whiskey bottles and golf balls thrown onto the field prompted
school officials to tighten student ticketing procedures.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
exhilarating football victories and mourn heartbreaking defeats the
same way: by setting the streets of Morgantown on fire.
Twice in less than 12 months, streets in the low-rent,
student-dominated neighborhood of Sunnyside filled with a smoky
haze as students burned couches, garbage and anything they could
find after nationally televised weeknight football games.
So, on the eve of West Virginia's biggest home football game of
the season, Wednesday night's nationally televised contest against
No. 3 Virginia Tech, Morgantown officials are spraying cold water
on the 20-year-old tradition.
The fires "have taken on a life of their own," Morgantown Fire
Chief David Fetty said Monday. "The games continue to be a
catalyst, but they're not the only catalyst. ... I don't understand
it, and I don't condone it, but those are the facts."
Firefighters were issuing more than 200 citations Monday and
Tuesday to residents with fire hazards outside their homes,
including excessive garbage and couches on porches, Fetty said.
Violators refusing to comply face $1,000 fines, and city workers
have been ordered to remove hazardous items, he said.
Most citations were issued in Sunnyside and along High Street,
the downtown avenue upon which many fraternity and sorority houses
are located, he said.
WVU student Alex Matzureff, a graduate student in secondary
education and history, said Morgantown has been frenzied all week -
so frenzied that his economics professor pleaded with his class
Monday to preserve the town.
"He said 'Whatever you do, don't burn down Morgantown. We want
to have someplace left when we go to class Thursday,"' Matzureff
said.
Steve Hill, who runs a used furniture store, said he once sold
five sofas during a weekend marked by couch fires.
"A lot of times, they burn everything in sight," Hill said.
Students typically don't purchase couches specifically to burn
them, Hill said. Instead, they ignite their existing sofas, then
purchase replacements.
The pyromaniacal practice began about 20 years ago with large
bonfires in Sunnyside after football games, Fetty said. As bars
closed in the dilapidated neighborhood the locals call
"Scummyside," the fires spread to downtown, he said.
Now the blazes are more frequent but not as intense, the chief
said. Most recently, rowdy students set couches and garbage in
Sunnyside aflame after WVU's 21-18 win over Virginia Tech last
November and after the Mountaineers' 22-20 loss to No. 2 Miami on
Oct. 2.
Since 1997, more than 900 fires have been set in town, Fetty
said.
"The Sunnyside tradition continues," Fetty said sarcastically.
Ken Gray, WVU's vice president for student affairs, said that
this week local fire, police and university officials are standing
united in a zero-tolerance policy against fires and destruction of
property.
WVU officials have been pleading with students and fans to act
responsibly.
Coach Rich Rodriguez left recorded messages on some people's
answering machines, taped a video message to be shown on the
stadium's scoreboard and made other requests through the media,
imploring fans to behave.
Wednesday night's Big East contest is WVU's first home night
game since August 2002 and the school's first nationally televised
home night game since a Maryland-WVU game Sept. 19, 1998, when
whiskey bottles and golf balls thrown onto the field prompted
school officials to tighten student ticketing procedures.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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