25 years later: Survivors recount Seton Hall dorm fire that killed 3, injured 58
Alvaro Llano and his Boland Hall roommate Shawn Simons, both 18 at the time, had only known each other for five months the morning a fire was set inside their dorm by two of their classmates.
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"From the corner of my eye, I saw a fireball. It hit my back, lit me on fire," said Alvaro Llanos, recounting the morning of Jan. 19, 2000, like it was yesterday.
"We didn’t expect the darkness that was waiting for us behind those doors,” he said. “…We saw that cloud of smoke, our adrenaline was pumping, our first instincts, what you learn as kids, is to get on your hands and knees and try to find a way out and that’s what we did."
Llano and his Boland Hall roommate Shawn Simons, both 18 at the time, had only known each other for five months the morning a fire was set inside their dorm by two of their classmates. Fifty-eight students were injured. Three others were killed. Simons remembers their classmates who died that morning.
"I always say there are certain things that I wish I could have changed that night. I wish that we could have somehow protected our three classmates – Frank, Aaron and John."
The friends now tour high schools and colleges sharing their story of survival, perseverance and fire safety.
"We hope that some of the tips that we provide to them they never have to use, but we want them just to have it in the forefront of their minds," said Llanos.
Llanos, who suffered third-degree burns from the waist up, hopes to bring his real-life experience to students. "I was given a second chance in life to help others and inspire others and that’s something we’re passionate about because we don’t want anyone to experience what we went through."
Shortly after the deadly fire at Boland Hall, the state passed a law requiring sprinkler systems in all dorms. In the years since the fire, Al and Shawn have continued to work to get laws passed federally.
"New Jersey is only one of three states across this country that has those same laws. A lot of students who are graduating from high school, who may be going out of state to school, they may be going into facilities and residence halls that do not have fire sprinklers," Simons said.
Every year, Seton Hall holds a remembrance Mass for the survivors and those who perished in the fire.
