Two living rooms and one kitchen caught fire Tuesday afternoon on the J. P. Monahan Plaza to spread awareness about house fires with the help of a St. Thomas connection.

Off Campus Student Services, Undergraduate Student Government and the St. Paul Fire Department presented their third annual fire demonstration honoring Michael Larson, a St. Thomas student who died in a fire in his off-campus home on Selby Avenue in December 2010.

St. Paul Fire Investigator Jamie Novak said he hoped the event helped students learn how to be more conscious about fire danger.

“It makes more awareness to the students about being more safe, about getting smoke detectors and being a little more aware of the dangers of fire … hopefully to prevent another death on campus here,” Novak said.

Kelly Higgins, senior class president, added that Larson’s death affected the entire St. Thomas community, and that honoring him helps to raise awareness.

“I remember going to the Mass that night that it happened and seeing the family and everything, so I kind of felt a little personal connection,” Higgins said. “But I think that it just brought awareness to the entire school.”

The St. Paul Fire Department set up three demonstration fires: one in a living room with no sprinklers, one in a living room with sprinklers and one in a kitchen. Sophomore Andy Hobday said it made him more aware of fire safety.

“I didn’t realize that such a big fire could have started from such a small little thing,” Hobday said. “Now I’m much more aware of what can be created from such a small circumstance.”

Junior Molly Schroeder said she will be more conscious about her cooking habits after seeing the demo.

“I don’t cook very often, so I feel like I’m likely to start a fire because I have such little experience,” Schroeder said. “Some of the pointers they brought up were really awesome just because I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Steve Zaccard, St. Paul fire marshal and public information officer, said that kitchen fires are very common, and easy to prevent.

“Careless cooking is the leading cause of building fires in Minnesota and in St. Paul, and they’re all preventable,” Zaccard said. “Every cooking fire is preventable if you just stay and look when you cook.”

Alison Bengtson can be reached at beng4362@stthomas.edu.