University dorm fire was extinguished by sprinkler system (Salem, MA)

A fire that started in a residence hall at Salem State University is being investigated as arson, University officials said. Around 1:40 a.m., scrap paper and some posters caught fire in the trash room of Atlantic Hall, a dorm on the central campus, said Karen Cady, spokeswoman for school. The fire was quickly put out, and students evacuated the building, she said. They were let back into the dorm about an hour later. “The sprinkler extinguished everything,” Cady said.