Editor’s note: The article has been updated to include an interview with ISUPD Chief Michael Newton. The original article incorrectly stated he did not respond to a request for comment.
A fire incident at the Memorial Union on Feb. 4 has led to an investigation, possibly connecting a string of similar events dating back to 2023.
At approximately 2:57 p.m., the ISU PD and the Ames Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at the Memorial.
Brad Hill, associate director of the Memorial Union for operations, said the fire alarm was triggered in the “east side of the building.”
Tom Hackett, deputy chief of the Ames Fire Department, told the Daily the fire was in a stairwell on the first floor near the parking garage.
The Ames Fire incident report stated that the fire had been lit by a small piece of paper on the floor and was extinguished by Memorial Union personnel by the time the Fire crew arrived.
The fire burned and melted the carpet in the area, and the damages are valued at more than $1,000.
Corey Barnes was seen on security cameras in the same stairwell as the fire “immediately before and after” the alarm was activated.
Investigators found that Barnes’ cell phone was connected to the building’s Wi-Fi network at the time of the fire. According to the criminal complaint, a forensic review of Barnes’ phone revealed internet searches such as “How to schedule a fire drill?” and “Does Iowa law require fire drill?”
“Defendant visited a site listed on the search results titled, ‘How to Conduct a Fire Drill at Work: A 5-Step Guide,’” the criminal complaint stated.
Barnes was arrested on March 8 for third-degree criminal mischief, an aggravated misdemeanor, and reckless use of fire/explosives/destructive devices, a serious misdemeanor. He pled not guilty on April 7.
Barnes, a senior in liberal studies, was charged in October with two counts of willful injury causing bodily injury, a Class D Felony, and one count of harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, for allegedly stabbing two people in the head with a butterknife. An order of continuance for the trial was issued on March 31, setting the trial to begin on April 29.
“We had previously charged this individual with pulling a fire alarm in a [residence] hall a couple of years ago as well, and it seems to be the pattern of behavior we’ve seen,” ISUPD Chief Michael Newton told the Daily. “The concerning thing is we’re not sure what their intent is, but we obviously are concerned anytime there’s a fire in a [residence] hall or in a largely populated building like the Memorial Union.”
At least nine other instances of a fire with similar circumstances have occurred at State Gym, Wallace Hall and the BlockONE apartment complex since 2023.
Barnes is allegedly linked to these and “multiple fire alarm pull station activations in Ames when there was no actual fire.”
The day after the Memorial Union fire, ISUPD and the Ames Fire Department responded to a fire at Wallace Hall where a smoke detector outside of Barnes’ room at the time was activated.
In 2023, ISUPD and the Ames Fire Department responded to four “suspicious” fires at State Gymnasium. Barnes was identified in camera footage and building access logs on all four occasions.
“In all four of those incidents, burnt paper and/or smoke was found directly under a smoke detector head,” the criminal complaint stated.
The Ames Fire Department responded to four additional fires at 2320 Lincoln Way, BlockONE apartments, with the alarm being triggered from directly outside Barnes’ residence at the time.
The Daily also contacted Barnes’ lawyer but did not have a comment.
