Fire ripped through the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house at Drexel University early yesterday morning, causing extensive damage and forcing residents to evacuate and find temporary housing. None of the 28 residents of the house, located at 3405 Powelton Avenue, were injured in the 6:22 a.m. blaze, Pi Kappa Phi president Walter Hopkin said. But he said there was extensive property damage in the house, and added that the fraternity was covered by insurance. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Philadelphia Fire Marshall's office, Drexel Assistant Vice President Philip Terranova said in a statement. Hopkin, a civil engineering major from Glenelg, Md., said that a sleeping brother awoke to find a couch on fire, beginning a harrowing journey to safety for Hopkin and other brothers who were in the house at the time. "He tried to put it out, but couldn't," Hopkin said last night. "I was one of the last people to get out. I awoke from a dead sleep and my roommate was in hysterics, jumping around." Hopkin said he got out of bed to find smoke "everywhere," and leaned out a window to get some air and look for a way down. "We went to the front door, but there was too much smoke and heat in the house," Hopkin continued. "We couldn't breathe in the room, so we went back to the window for air." Although some brothers below yelled for Hopkin and the others to jump onto a mattress, he said, another roommate remembered an escape ladder, which the students eventually used to climb to safety. Drexel has offered the brothers temporary housing, and the university book store has volunteered to donate books to replace those lost in the fire. The Red Cross and other campus fraternities have also helped Pi Kappa Phi, according to Hopkin. He said that other assistance has been forthcoming from their alumni and other members of the Drexel community. The brothers will also receive a week of free meals at Drexel dining halls. "The entire Drexel community has been really good to us," Hopkin said. "The Red Cross was incredible -- they were on the scene with food, clothing vouchers, and counseling," he added. The fraternity does not yet have plans to rebuild, but Hopkin said that their alumni intend to rent a house for their temporary use. Hopkin said that his brothers are "taking it in stride now, but I'm not sure that the full effect has set in yet . . . even though they've gone back to their rooms and seen everything totally destroyed."
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