Madeleine O’Neill
News Editor
Last Sunday night, a Security and Protective Services patrol smelled smoke during their rounds and discovered that President Grant Cornwell’s vehicle had caught fire. The 2010 Lincoln MKZ was parked behind Cornwell’s residence on East University Street when its front end was consumed by flames. SPS alerted the Wooster Fire Division (WFD) which arrived shortly to put out the fire. Students across campus reported smelling burning rubber for several hours after the incident.
President Cornwell and his wife were out of town for the weekend and no one was injured. The car sustained serious damage and is likely unsalvageable. The WFD’s public record on the incident describes the scene as follows: “Fire encompassed the entire engine compartment, extending into the passenger compartment through the fire wall and instrument panel.” Except for some scorched trees and shrubs, the fire caused no other property damage.
The day after the fire occurred, campus administrators sent an email out to students explaining that the WFD had ruled the fire accidental and suspected that it may have been caused by a malfunction in the hybrid car’s batteries. The WFD’s record did suggest a possible electrical malfunction in the vehicle and ruled the cause “accidental,” but elsewhere the same report declared that the source of the fire was “undetermined pending further evidence.”
New evidence, however, has led to a full-fledged investigation by the Wooster Police Department (WPD). On Tuesday morning, The Wooster Voice received an anonymous communication alleging that the fire was lit intentionally. The Voice has agreed not to publish the exact contents of the communication while the WPD’s investigation is ongoing.
After receiving this communication, Voice staff brought it to Steve Glick, director of Security and Protective Services, who said that he was “very concerned by the level of detail” in the communication. Further investigation by the Voice has confirmed that some of the facts in the communication are consistent with the WFD’s public record on the incident. Other facts appear to be inconsistent – the communication refers to property damage in connection with the fire, but this damage is believed to have actually occurred several months ago.
The WFD’s public record states that the fire’s “area of origin was determined to be the driver’s front fender and wheel area,” also noting that the car’s battery was near the point of origin. John Cutlip, the investigating firefighter on the case, said that “there was no evidence of any foul play at the scene,” but he conceded that he had not yet heard about the communication that the Voice received. He declined to comment on the likelihood of a car battery spontaneously sparking and combusting, especially considering that the car had not been driven at all during the weekend prior to the event.
Even before this new evidence came to light, President Cornwell expressed skepticism at the idea that the fire was completely accidental. “Frankly, [the incident] is troubling and strange…It is just very difficult to imagine how a car sitting in the driveway, in the middle of a cool summer night, suddenly catches fire. I am most grateful to our good folks from Security for discovering the fire and insuring further damage was not done,” he said.
The Voice is following this story closely as it develops and will hopefully be able to reveal more information about the anonymous communication in the future. We are cooperating fully with SPS and law enforcement. If you have any information regarding this incident, call Security’s nonemergency line (330-263-2590).