2nd student dies after Eau Claire apt. fire

A second Stillwater, Minn., man has died as a result of a fire at an off-campus apartment near the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire early Monday morning.

Jacob Clarkson, 21, died Tuesday at Hennepin County Medical Center after being brought to the hospital in critical condition, according to hospital officials. The fire also killed Ross Livermore, 21, also of Stillwater.

Clarkson and Livermore and two other friends from Stillwater shared the off-campus apartment above a real estate business on Water Street in Eau Claire. The other two roomates escaped the building when fire broke out early Monday. Garret Isakson and Casey Malan, both 21, were treated at a local hospital and released.

Livermore and Clarkson were computer science majors at UW-Eau Claire. School officials say Livermore was on an approved leave from the university.

The Clarkson family on Tuesday issued a statement thanking the community for its support, and indicating that their son's organs would be donated: "Jacob enjoyed life and willed that others would have the chance for life, too. That's why we're honoring his decision to be an organ donor. We are so proud of him -- and we miss him more than words can say."

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Information from: WEAU-TV