Gail Minger

My Story

“My son, Michael, was only a sophomore in college when he was killed in an arson fire in his residence hall at Murray State University in Kentucky. Someone had poured gasoline in the hallway and lit a fire. The antiquated fire alarm was not what woke him from his sleep, but rather the screams of other residents. Due to a non-verbal learning disability on the Autism spectrum, Michael did not fully understand the directions that were being yelled to him by other residents. He was unable to escape and died in the doorway of his room. Fourteen others were injured in the fire. There was an earlier arson fire in Michael’s hall but it had not been reported to the residents and their parents, so they did not know to be on the lookout.

After Michael’s death, I chose to honor his legacy by looking out for the well being of students on college campuses nationwide, founding the Michael H. Minger Foundation. The goal of the Foundation has been to raise awareness and standards for campus fire safety, along with addressing fire safety needs for students with disabilities. Due to my work with the Foundation, I was invited to join Common Voices as a means to have a collected voice to combat fire and the threat of fire in our nation and on our college campuses. In order to prevent future fire deaths, we must educate and focus on ways to change our culture and the general public’s attitude about fire. The dangers and devastation of fire are very real, but they can be prevented.”