DKE fire investigated as arson-theft

No one was injured in the Sunday morning blaze, which caused damage to parts of the fraternity house. Philadelphia and University Police are investigating an arson that occurred early Sunday morning at the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on South 39th Street. No one was injured in the 5:45 a.m. one-alarm fire, although about 30 brothers evacuated the house and some property was damaged. The Philadelphia Fire Department has declared the incident an arson, a Philadelphia Police official said. According to College senior and DKE president J.D. Beiting, some of the brothers in the house reported seeing a suspicious-looking man running around the house during the fire, and several items -- including a wallet and a portable compact disc player -- are missing. "[The man] was running around the house saying 'There's a fire,' but I think he was just throwing things into a bag," said DKE Vice President Keith Crivello, who woke up to find the man in his room yelling and later realized that his wallet was gone. None of the brothers recognized the man, and he was nowhere to be found once the building had been evacuated. DKE brothers speculate the man lit the couch on fire with the intent of robbing the house during the ensuing confusion. The blaze apparently began when a couch in a first floor common room caught on fire. Smoke soon filled the entire three-story building, which is located south of Spruce Street near the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Beiting and several firemen went through the house room by room to make sure everyone was evacuated. "I could just hear people coughing and trying to get out," Beiting said. "It was pretty bad." According to fire department officials, four fire engines responded within minutes of the alarm going off. It was quickly brought under control, though brothers were not allowed back in the house until around 8 a.m., Beiting said. The house has extensive damage on the first floor and soot litters much of the house. The exact cost of the repairs has not been determined. Television news reports erroneously reported yesterday that the fire occurred at the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house, which is on 39th Street about a block north of DKE.

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