Fire
forces students to find new homes
by
Casey Clapper
Senior Staff Writer
casey.clapper@ohiou.edu
A
fire during Fall Quarter finals week left residents of the
Beta Theta Pi fraternity house searching for new homes in
the new year.
The
fraternity's chapter house, 23 S. Congress St., caught fire
at about 6:30 a.m. November 22.
Athens
Fire Department Chief Bob Troxel said the fire probably was
caused by a lamp coming into contact with a curtain in the
house.
The
university has provided aid for the students living in the
house, said Terry Hogan, OU dean of students.
"Sophomores
are living in residence halls and upperclassmen have all found
off-campus housing," he said.
Students
were able to find new housing quicker because the fire happened
at the end of the quarter and before a long break, Hogan said.
The chapter refunded residents' rent so members could pay
for new housing.
OU
also helped contact faculty members at the end of the quarter.
A couple members of the house ended the quarter with incompletes
or rescheduled an exam, he said.
AFD
received a call at about 6:55 a.m. Three fire trucks and about
18 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, Troxel said.
Damage is estimated at $250,000 in structural damage and $100,000
in contents.
"The
fire originated in the formal room," he said. "The
front portion (of the house) had substantial fire damage and
the remaining portion of the structure had smoke damage."
One
student suffered a dislocated arm when she fell from a second-story
window. The other 28 students left the house safely.
OU
junior Leanne Ernsthausen, of Oak Harbor, was treated and
released, said a spokeswoman for O'Bleness Memorial Hospital.
Beta
Theta Pi senior Rick Campopiano, of Burton, said he was the
first to see the fire and call 9-1-1.
"I
saw the fire in the front room," he said. "I just
started yelling and woke everyone up. Within five minutes
everyone was out of the house. It's something you don't expect
on a Friday morning - to wake up and your house be on fire."
Athens
County Red Cross volunteers provided sweatshirts, shoes and
comfort kits, which include toiletries like toothpaste and
soap, said Sandy Shirey, executive director of the Athens
County chapter.
"We
got a call from (OU Police Department) that students were
all congregated in front of Bromley and in need of clothing,"
she said. "Many of the people were barefoot. We gave
them vouchers for a local store if they needed emergency clothing.
We wanted to check with each individual and make sure they
knew that if they had further emergency needs, we will be
there."
Beta
Theta Pi members said the assistance the morning of the fire
was appreciated.
"Everyone
has been real supportive," Campopiano said. "Everyone's
pretty much working together to get through this."
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