On Monday, April 22, at 8:23 a.m., firefighters had no further to respond than outside the firehouse bay doors for a reported “township trash truck on fire.” The borough’s trash removal contractor, collecting rubbish from Swarthmore residents, discovered that the contents of their truck were on fire.

Firefighters were called to Swarthmore College on April 5 at 1:17 p.m. for a report of smoke coming from a room in the Alice Paul dormitory. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered that the unattended burning of incense had spread to a bookcase, setting off a single sprinkler head. (The dorm resident believed the incense had been extinguished prior to leaving the room.) The sprinkler head had been flowing for 15 to 20 minutes, extinguishing the fire, but smoke and water damage was sustained in several rooms and the hallway.