The Student Room Group

Silliest reason for setting the fire alarm off you've seen/heard about?

So here in Fire Alarm halls, as I call it, the fire alarm has just gone off for like the millionth time this week. Cause? Someone fiddling with a lighter.

My sister knew someone who set the alarm off because they were trying to singe their assignment to make it look aged (part of the assignment was it had to be made to look ancient), and the entire sheet of paper caught fire, setting off the alarm, and destroying her assignment once and for all.

For those in halls or flat, what is the silliest, stupidest, most ridiculous reason that the alarm has been set off that you've witnessed, heard of, or personally done yourself?
(edited 8 years ago)

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Original post by Minecraft27
So here in Fire Alarm halls, as I call it, the fire alarm has just gone off for like the millionth time this week. Cause? Someone fiddling with a lighter.

My sister knew someone who set the alarm off because they were trying to singe their assignment to make it look aged (part of the assignment was it had to be made to look ancient), and the entire sheet of paper caught fire, setting off the alarm, and destroying her assignment once and for all.

For those in halls or flat, what is the silliest, stupidest, most ridiculous reason that the alarm has been set off that you've witnessed, heard of, or personally done yourself?


There was one person who cooked sausages every wednesday and always set the alarm off without fail.
Original post by Minecraft27
So here in Fire Alarm halls, as I call it, the fire alarm has just gone off for like the millionth time this week. Cause? Someone fiddling with a lighter.

My sister knew someone who set the alarm off because they were trying to singe their assignment to make it look aged (part of the assignment was it had to be made to look ancient), and the entire sheet of paper caught fire, setting off the alarm, and destroying her assignment once and for all.

For those in halls or flat, what is the silliest, stupidest, most ridiculous reason that the alarm has been set off that you've witnessed, heard of, or personally done yourself?


I set it off once totally by accident. We had microwave ovens, you pressed one button for the oven function and another for the microwave. Well I put sausages in, set the timer for 20 mins and accidentally pressed the microwave oven. When I came back 20 mins later I opened the microwave door and the smoke set the alarm off.
Original post by claireestelle
There was one person who cooked sausages every wednesday and always set the alarm off without fail.


Original post by jelly1000
I set it off once totally by accident. We had microwave ovens, you pressed one button for the oven function and another for the microwave. Well I put sausages in, set the timer for 20 mins and accidentally pressed the microwave oven. When I came back 20 mins later I opened the microwave door and the smoke set the alarm off.


I came to say someone in my block in first year once put her sausage in the microwave for 30 minutes and set the alarm off. Why would you microwave sausages? We had both an oven and hobs. Those are the appropriate places to cook sausages,
Someone put their (partially metal) make up brush in the microwave to dry it 😑


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Original post by SmallTownGirl
I came to say someone in my block in first year once put her sausage in the microwave for 30 minutes and set the alarm off. Why would you microwave sausages? We had both an oven and hobs. Those are the appropriate places to cook sausages,


30 minutes in the microwave...? That seems an awful long time :eek3:
I set the oven on fire. We had the holy trinity of emergency services to our flat that year
Original post by earthworm
I set the oven on fire. We had the holy trinity of emergency services to our flat that year


What happened....? :cookie:
Reply 8
Someone once lost a good portion of their coat to a bunsen burner in Y10 chemistry... :lol:

edit: just realised this is for student accommodation :getmecoat:
(edited 8 years ago)
Whilst playing a game of truth or dare whilst on a trip in Barcelona, one of my friends was dare to set his leg hair a light using deodorant and a lighter. It didn't hurt him much surprisingly and our teachers never found out it was us that caused it


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Not a uni hall of residence story, but when I was in high school some numpty decided they did not want to go to their next lesson so set the fire alarm off. Worked like a charm, the student never had another lesson at that school.
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
30 minutes in the microwave...? That seems an awful long time :eek3:


Yeah. We were confused when we discussed it outside the building when the fire alarm was going off.
Reply 12
Some lad set ours off with hairspray so he claimed, but it was a smokers flat, pretty much every alarm had a condom over it. Fun times :smile:
my local pub is opposite a fire station.

the guys come in, and I've heard them say that after a few false alarms and building evacuation, they wait for a rainy cold night, another alarm, and spend an eternity making sure that the building is "safe" while the students shiver in the rain. False alarms generally fall after that

Not to mention that "prank" alarms can get you kicked out of halls with no refund
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
What happened....? :cookie:


Flat mate got stabbed.
Original post by earthworm
Flat mate got stabbed.


Oh my :frown: I retract my cookie smilie - were they okay?
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
Oh my :frown: I retract my cookie smilie - were they okay?


Yeah he's fine now
Original post by SmallTownGirl
I came to say someone in my block in first year once put her sausage in the microwave for 30 minutes and set the alarm off. Why would you microwave sausages? We had both an oven and hobs. Those are the appropriate places to cook sausages,


We didn't have a conventional oven, only a microwave with a separate oven setting. As for the hobs, I could have fried my sausages yes, but as someone who hates cooking I hate having to just stand and watch over my food, I much prefer being able to leave it and get on with something else and when I pressed the correct button (the oven button) I got the same result as if I'd put my sausages in a conventional oven.
(edited 8 years ago)
I lived in a block of 4 flats, and if 1 flat set of the alarm the entire block would go off and we would all have to stand outside. Whenever someone cooked bacon, and it was always bacon for some reason, it would fill the kitchen with smoke, which was fine if you opened the windows and kept the door closed (the hall alarm was sensitive) but one of the flats never closed the doors so the alarm went off every other day for the first 2 weeks, my flatmates and i even started a tally for it XD
Original post by jelly1000
We didn't have a conventional oven, only a microwave with a separate oven setting. As for the hobs, I could have fried my sausages yes, but as someone who hates cooking I hate having to just stand and watch over my food, I much prefer being able to leave it and get on with something else and when I pressed the correct button (the oven button) I got the same result as if I'd put my sausages in a conventional oven.


I understand if your oven is in your microwave (although that seems a weird concept) but we had ovens.