East Residence Fire: Apparent Suicide Attempt

Student broadcasts himself setting fire to room as Internet spectators watch

In an apparent suicide attempt, a 20 year-old-male student from Douglas Hall in East Residence set fire to his residence room on the night of Saturday, Nov. 30. The student is currently recovering in hospital from complications due to smoke inhalation. The student livestreamed the act in an online chatroom where 200 people watched.

The fire was confined to the student’s bedroom and was extinguished by the Guelph Fire Department. Police are continuing to investigate the incident and the university says it will wait until the investigation is concluded before deciding how to proceed.

The student announced his attempt to commit suicide on the “/b/” message board of 4chan.org, a forum on the Internet notorious for its deliberately inflammatory and disturbing content. The student said that he would take his own life if someone would arrange for it to be streamed over a live chat.

“This is it. Tonight I will be ending my own life,” he wrote. “As a [long-time user] who’s been on 4chan since 2004, I thought I would finally give back to the community… All that I request is for you guys to link me to a site where I am able to stream it for you guys, then I will gladly fulfill my promise.”

Ninety minutes after the original post to the message board, at 7:40 p.m., the fire was reported.

During the live stream, which is soundless, the student is seen holding up a cell phone to the camera which a text message that some assumed helped spur the attempt, taking pills and drinking from a bottle of vodka. After the fire was set, the student proceeded to lie down on the floor as smoke filled the room. Firefighters can later be seen pulling the student from the room.

As this was happening, spectators goaded him into following through. They asked that he adjust the camera so they could get a better view and joked about how long he might live. Others – a minority – encouraged him to call it off after it became apparent that his intentions were genuine. On several occasions, the student himself updated the feed writing: “#imdead” and “#omgimonfire.”

A 4chan user inevitably discovered the student’s identity and linked his Facebook page to the thread, whereupon users spammed his account with odious comments.

Mirrors of the video continue to circulate online through various social media websites. The University of Guelph is now attempting to persuade various sites to take down the video.

“Disturbing social media activity is circulating about this incident,” wrote President Summerlee in an address on the morning of Monday, Dec. 2. He added: “The University of Guelph is a community committed to civility and mutual respect. Please join me in refraining from watching or distributing this hurtful material.”

The fourth floor of Douglas Hall, where the incident took place, has been vacated and the 32 students living there have been moved into another residence. Friends of the student have been shocked by the revelation: “He’s so happy,” said one student who knew him.

Counselors have been made available for students affected by the incident. “Our real focus right now is on the students,” said Brenda Whiteside, Vice-President of Student Affairs to the National Post. Persons close to the student have been allowed to defer exams.

Members of the community experiencing moments of deep personal crisis are urged to make use of the support services freely and confidentially available at the U of G: Student Counselling Services, Ext. 53244; Student Health Services, Ext. 52131; Student Support Network, Raithby House, drop-in support available daily from noon until 8 p.m; Multi-Faith Resource Team, Ext. 52390.