A student at the University of Guelph (U of G) was stopped after attempting suicide by lighting his dorm room on fire the evening of Nov. 30, while broadcasting the incident in an online chat room.
The 20-year-old, known only as “Stephen,” was stopped by firefighters after a call was placed to the Guelph Fire Department, accompanied by emergency medical services and the Guelph Police.
The student is now in the hospital being treated for grave but non-life-threatening injuries. Two Guelph police officers and two university staff members were also hospitalized for smoke inhalation, according to police. They have since been released.
Guelph police stated in a news release it responded to the fire at 7:51 p.m., about an hour and a half after “Stephen” posted an announcement to 4chan—an anonymous online image board—stating he was going to commit suicide and broadcast the event live. About 200 users watched as he lit the fire, according to the video views.
The fire and damage from the incident were confined to the injured student’s room, according to a bulletin posted by the university’s website Dec. 1. The university stated about 30 students were relocated to temporary accommodations overnight Nov. 30 as a precaution.
U of G spokesperson Lori Bona Hunt said the school has made help available through its Counselling Services, Student Health Services, and Employee Assistance Program. The university held community meetings in the days following to talk about these programs and to urge people not to watch the video, she said.
“The University of Guelph is a community committed to civility and mutual respect,” Hunt said via email. “As soon as [we] became aware that disturbing social media was circulating about this incident, we began urging people to refrain from watching or distributing [it].”
The website that the event was broadcast on, 4chan, is “infamous for hosting disturbing content,” according to Hunt. She said the university has contacted the website asking that any posts and links related to the incident be removed, although she said the site is not known for responding to such requests.
In addition to contacting 4chan, Hunt said student leaders and university staff are trying to track social media posts connected to the incident and request their removal. University officials have been meeting with students and staff affected by the incident, according to the university’s bulletin.
