Fire, smoke damage corner of DZ sorority; no one seriously injured
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Fire and smoke damaged the northwest corner of the Delta Zeta sorority on Hilltop Drive just before 7 a.m. Wednesday (Aug. 18).
All of the 71 occupants were evacuated without serious injuries. One woman was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
James C. Heisel, deputy chief of the Purdue University Fire Department, said residents in the first-floor room where the fire started reported seeing flames behind a futon. Heisel said it is believed the fire was started by a window fan located near the futon. The fire damaged the first-floor residents' room and smoke damaged the adjacent room, hallways and rooms above.
The smoke set off alarms, which notified emergency personnel, while the house director, Susan Rients, called 911 and made sure all of the residents were safe. Purdue police arrived within a minute of the alert and reported heavy black smoke pouring out of a window.
The fire was controlled quickly, Heisel said. His initial damage estimate for the building and contents was about $25,000 to $50,000.
Contact: Jeanne V. Norberg, spokesperson, 765-494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu