This isn’t a scene that is exclusive to MSU. Students at Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University and even University of Michigan have been conditioned to the reckless party environment that distinguishes college communities from the rest of the world.

But lately college communities have been distinguished — or extinguished — for other reasons, as well.

Fires in college communities have claimed the lives of 13 students in four months this academic year, including 10 during a 12-day stretch in November. Last academic year, an additional 20 students died, East Lansing Fire Marshal Bob Pratt said.

Despite the swelling numbers, students haven’t changed their partying habits, said Annette Irwin, operations administrator for the city’s Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Conservation Department.

“When everyone is out having a good time, you don’t really think about things like fire safety,” she said.

Finance freshman Matt Niemi said fires don’t arouse his concern when he’s at a party.

“If I’m at a party, I’m probably drunk,” Niemi said. “I’m probably not thinking about the fire escapes.”

Although the death toll in other college towns continues to rise, there hasn’t been a fire-related death at MSU in more than 20 years, Pratt said.

But that streak is mostly a result of plain luck, Pratt said, because the excessive drinking, careless disposal of smoking butts and overcrowding of houses that happen in East Lansing every day are frequently putting students in grave danger.

“We see it every weekend,” he said. “We see tampering with fire protection on a regular basis – an action that puts everyone in the house in jeopardy and simply shouldn’t happen. Every week we run into situations that could turn into tragedies that you hear about in other college communities.”

To mitigate safety hazards, city officials inspect all rental houses off-campus at least once per year to search for code violations. They also inspect a minimum of 25 percent of the units in every apartment structure, Irwin said.

Inspectors test smoke detectors, search for objects that are stored too closely to the furnace and ensure pathways aren’t blocked, Irwin said.

But because the inspections are usually made during weekdays, not weekend party hours, it’s difficult for officials to determine whether they’re accurate.

Officials at Community Resource Management Co. and DTN Management couldn’t be reached for comment after multiple attempts throughout the week.