Seton Hall Fire May Have Been Deliberate

The deadly dorm fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey Jan. 19 may have been arson.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Wednesday officials believe the fire was deliberately set, the result of a feud between non-students and residents of the dorm.

The paper says police have at least four suspects, but no charges have been filed. Three of the suspects were asked to leave Boland Hall less than an hour before the fire broke out.

Last month's blaze killed three students and injured dozens more. Resident adviser Dana Christmas, who reportedly asked the non-students to leave the building, is still hospitalized, severely burned in the fire.

"This was not an accidental fire. Someone started the fire," an anonymous official told the Star-Ledger.

Four students - including Christmas - remain hospitalized in critical condition, unable to talk to detectives. Christmas has undergone several skin graft operations.

Investigators say they have not yet determined whether the fire was set as a prank or was set with more malicious intent. Detectives are still not sure how the small but intense fire was set. Preliminary tests have uncovered no trace of accelerants, such as gasoline or lighter fluid, from ashes, paint scrapings and rubble from the scene.

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