Fire damages frat house
By DANA HERRA dherra@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – For the second time in less than two months, a fire broke out at a fraternity house in the heart of Northern Illinois University’s Greek Row neighborhood Saturday night.
The fire at Alpha Kappa Alpha, 917 Greenbrier Road, started about 5:30 p.m., according to the DeKalb Fire Department. The fire began in a couch in the chapter room, and was quickly contained, according to a written statement from the department. No injuries to either firefighters or civilians were reported.
Twenty firefighters from DeKalb and Genoa-Kingston spent about three and a half hours at the scene, though firefighters estimated the blaze was under control in about five minutes.
The fire caused about $150,000 in damage, according to the statement, and its cause is undetermined.
The fire is being investigated by the DeKalb Fire Department and the state fire marshal’s arson investigation unit.
The 12 occupants of the house were able to retrieve most of their personal belongings, said Rochelle Cripe of the DeKalb County American Red Cross. NIU provided emergency housing for the fraternity members in a residence hall, and the Red Cross provided toiletry kits, Cripe said.
Alpha Kappa Alpha is only a block away from the Omega Delta fraternity in the 800 block of Greenbrier Road, which suffered about $300,000 in fire damage last month. The fire that broke out at the Omega Delta house in the early morning hours of May 6 also began in a couch, and displaced 14 NIU students during finals week. There were two minor injuries in that fire, and students were assisted by both service agencies and NIU, which provided temporary housing in residence halls.
