Brodie Remington, vice president of university relations, smiled and chatted with volunteers and faculty members running Maryland Day while a disturbing secret swirled in the back of his head.

“It’s like living in another world; no one around you knows,” he said. “It’s not something you go around talking about. People are here to explore the university, so on one hand things go on. It’s like carrying a huge burden.”

A cloud hung over Maryland Day for the second time in three years as administrators balanced crisis management after hearing of an early morning fire that killed one university student and left another in critical condition while welcoming more than 60,000 visitors to the campus for the annual event that showcases the university to the public.

Seven university students lived in a house on Princeton Avenue that was gutted by a blaze Saturday following a party the night before.

Two years ago, university student Elizabeth Meejung Lee was shot in the head and blinded in Comcast Center parking garage the day before Maryland Day by her ex-boyfriend, a student at George Washington University who then shot himself and died.

“It wasn’t the same kind of Maryland Day that we normally have where you’re really pumped up all the day,” Remington said. “The whole spirit wasn’t the same.”

A call from police awoke Linda Clement, vice president for student affairs, at 5:30 a.m. in her Kensington home.

“This is my major priority,” she said Saturday morning after arriving on the campus. “We’re going to cope with this first before we do anything.”

University President Dan Mote activated the incident response team and organized a morning meeting in the Administration Building. Chief of Environmental Safety Allan Factor, Director of Greek Life Mike Hayes, Resident Life Director Deb Grandner and psychologists from the university Counseling Center convened with administrators to develop a plan.

University officials arranged temporary housing at fraternity and sorority houses and the campus dorms for the displaced students. Rooms at the Inn and Conference Center were reserved for families of the affected students who would come to the university, and chaplains and psychologists were made available for anyone seeking counseling.

After the meeting, Mote kept his busy schedule of appearances, being shuttled on the “Mote Mobile” from exhibit to exhibit across the campus. He stayed in contact with the incidence response team and university officials.

Shortly after noon, he addressed administrators, staff members and Maryland Day sponsors in the Maryland Room of Marie Mount Hall. He started with his traditional Maryland Day boast of the university’s rankings and scholarship programs, but soon turned solemn, informing the guests of the fire.

“You just kind of have to go forward to fulfill Maryland Day but strongly satisfy reaching the needs of the family and friends of those involved,” he said. “Unfortunately, when you have a community of 52,000 people, events like this can happen.”

He said canceling Maryland Day was considered but, after meeting with the incident response team, decided it would be “rather difficult to do.” He said administrators chose to handle both the tragedy and Maryland Day responsibilities simultaneously, and he didn’t want people to be surprised with the news after leaving College Park.

Two years ago, Maryland Day attendees were aware of the prior day’s shooting, while this year many did not learn of the fire until leaving the campus, leaving the worrying mostly to the university administrators who were contacted by police.

“Well, it’s not going to be a good day,” Remington said Saturday morning. “I have to put a good face exterior and greet people. But it’s not a good day.”

Senior staff writer Scott Dance contributed to this report.