ALMA, Mich. (WLNS) – Eleven students were displaced after a fully-involved fire burned them out of their fraternity house at Alma College in Alma overnight on Sunday.
Fraternity members said there were about 25 people inside the house when the fire started. They said it began in the basement, and that some who lived in the home attempted to put out the flames, but the fire extinguisher they had didn't work.
"Most of us escaped with only what was on our backs," said Nate Cushman, president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Alma College. He said students, college officials and members of other fraternities and sororities on campus rallied together in their time of need. "People were so…supportive. They were here for us and [helped] us be as comfortable as we could," said Cushman.
When the fire started, the frat brothers were enjoying company when they heard a fire alarm sound. "We figured it was just a hoax because sometimes they go off on their own."
It turns out that it was not a hoax, and that there was indeed a fire. House resident and fraternity member David Maniez said they saw smoke coming from the basement and tried to put out the fire, but the extinguisher was not working. He said he's confident that the flames would not have spread if the fire extinguisher had been working.
Maniez said he lost everything in the fire. "[I lost] clothes, I had a lot of Craftsman tools down there, all my books, phone, laptop, iPod touch, homework...I grabbed what I could and threw it out the window."
After he threw everything out, there wasn't enough time to get to the door, so he had to escape through a basement window.
This is the second time in 26 years that the fraternity has lost a home to a fire.
University officials said they met with students Sunday afternoon and made a list of things they need. Mike Silverthorn, communications director for Alma College, said they're trying to decide if they'll rebuild and how they will handle temporary housing for fraternity members. Currently, the displaced members are staying in other dormitories on campus.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Officials do not believe the blaze was suspicious.
