Update: Pi Kapp fire caused by electrical overload

A fire at the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house early this morning was caused by an electrical overload, according to the Division of Public Safety.

The fraternity house, located at 4040 Walnut St., was evacuated at about 3:30 a.m. when brothers reported seeing smoke billowing from a second-floor bedroom.

About 20 to 25 people were in the house at the time, and one fraternity brother received treatment for smoke inhalation.

The fire was contained to one bedroom on the second floor of the building, said Eugene Janda, chief of fire and emergency services for the Penn Police.

A circuit overload due to a large number of electrical devices plugged into power strips caused the blaze, according to Janda and Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush.

The circuits overheated, causing a mattress to ignite.

Everyone was evacuated from the house and one student in the fraternity was taken to the Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation, said Sgt. Joe Risoli of the Penn Police.

The student was in stable condition by mid-morning, Rush said.

The student was reportedly pulled from his bedroom, where the smoke originated, by brothers who forced open the door in order to reach him.

"We pulled him from the room and we pulled him outside," said Wharton sophomore Brandon Bagley, a brother in Pi Kapp.

The residents and others who were awakened by the commotion gathered in small groups early this morning. Two charred mattresses lay on the sidewalk in front of the house.

Risoli said that the smoke detectors in the house went off and all students were accounted for. The residents of the house were allowed back in, though an Allied Barton security guard was stationed at the house.

Risoli added that Campus Apartments, the landlord of the residence, was notified.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.