FIRE AT SALISBURY UNIVERSITY'S GUERRIERI STUDENT UNION CHICK-FIL-A RULED ACCIDENTAL

Salisbury, MD - On June 18, 2025, a fire broke out at the Chick-Fil-A, located inside the Guerrieri Student Union at Salisbury University, at 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:04 PM in the two-story brick educational support building. Damage estimates indicate a total loss of $12,000, which includes $10,000 for structural damage and $2,000 for damaged contents.

Emergency systems, such as smoke alarms, fire alarms, and sprinklers, were present in the building and activated as expected. The fire was initially discovered by an employee and confirmed by the facility's automatic fire alarm system.

The Salisbury Fire Department responded as the primary agency, with Stations 1, 2 and 16 responding, along with the assistance from Salisbury University Police, Fruitland Volunteer Fire Dept (Station 3), Hebron Volunteer Fire Dept (Station 5) and Allen Vol Fire Company (Station 15). A total of 20 firefighters arrived at the scene and successfully controlled the fire within 10 minutes.

The fire originated in the office area of the Chick-fil-A located inside the student union. Preliminary investigations determined the cause to be accidental, resulting from the spontaneous combustion of oily rags.