"We've been trying our best to keep things going as best we can," he said. "It's just been kind of a recovery effort for the last couple days."
The fire destroyed a significant amount of members' belongings, though members were able to salvage more than they originally expected, Phi Delt President John Alekna '10 said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
While some fraternity residents lost the majority of their belongings, several other members were able to recover most of their possessions, according to fraternity members.
"One room of four guys lost basically everything they had," Lubka said, adding that his personal computer was only recently recovered. "The majority of my clothing has been functionally destroyed."
The fraternity's insurance policy will help cover damages to the physical plant and to any of Phi Delt's property within the house, including furniture, Lubka said. Student-owned belongings will not be directly covered by Phi Delt's insurance, he added.
Dean of the College Sylvia Spears previously told The Dartmouth that the possessions of some members may be covered by their parents' homeowners insurance.
Members have spent time during the last few days retrieving personal belongings and Phi Delt property, Phi Delt treasurer Jared Zelski '10 said.
"It's been very emotional I think Phi Delts are very attached to their house," he said. "And I think a lot of us feel lost without our house."
Fraternity alumni have responded "tremendously" in assisting the displaced students, Zelski said.
"[Alumni] have offered computers and clothing, things like that," he said. "I know that they've mobilized [Phi Delt alumnus] Peter Fahey ['68 Th '69] has already started a campaign to raise money."
The fire originated between the second and third floors and caused smoke damage throughout the house, according to House Manager Sam Peck '10. The entire physical plant suffered significant water damage from the house's sprinkler system, he said.
"You can see the sky through the third floor, and just some walls that were there are no longer there," Peck said.
Obvious damage was visible in other areas of the house, Phi Delt campus outreach chair Bret Vallacher '10 said.
"The roof in my room you can see there's basically a four by four square where you can see the attic and a bit of the sky," he said.
Although other news outlets have reported that upgrades to the building's sprinkler system were responsible for saving students in the building, Lubka said a member of Phi Delt pulled the alarm after two unsuccessful attempts by members to put out the fire using fire extinguishers.
"I pulled the fire alarm," Phi Delt Lane Zimmerman '11 said. "My roommate discovered the fire, called me in, and we both tried to extinguish it. When that didn't work, I pulled the alarm."
It is too early to determine when the physical plant will be habitable again or the extent of reconstruction that will be required, Alekna said in the e-mail, though the organization is hoping to have a habitable physical plant by Fall term. The organization hopes to open some public spaces by Spring term, Zimmerman said.
Members of the organization that were living in the physical plant this term have been relocated to College residence halls, Lubka said. Several members of the fraternity lauded the turnaround time in placing students in new housing.
"The fire started at 5:30 in the morning and we had keys in our hands by 8:30 [a.m.]," Zimmerman said.
The fire and its aftermath caused academic disruption for many of the relocated students, according to several members of Phi Delt.
"I think that all of our grades are definitely going to suffer in the short term," social chair Marshall Bartlett '11 said. "But maybe not living in the house and being more focused will balance it out in the long term."
Many members missed classes this week as they tried to deal with the fire's aftermath. Several members also lost textbooks to fire and water damage, students said.
Computer services has been "incredible" in assisting members with any computer issues they faced after the fire, social chair Brendan Lynch-Salamon '10 said. Computer Sales and Services offered computers on loan and attempted to recover those damaged in the fire.
The response by the Dartmouth community has been "really helpful" throughout the recovery effort, Lubka said. The Inter-Fraternity Council organized a clothing drive for the displaced Phi Delt residents and the Red Cross helped supply winter jackets for the members.
Despite the lack of a physical plant, the organization will continue to be active on campus, Lubka said. The fraternity will host social events and will hold member meetings while displaced.
Phi Delt held member meetings Wednesday night at Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Bartlett said, and the organization will co-sponsor a party with Alpha Delta fraternity this Saturday, where the campus band Clusterfunk will perform.
"We're relying on creativity and the kindness of other organizations [to find space]," Lubka said. "We'll do what we can with what people offer us."
The fraternity is not planning to hold winter rush for new members, Alekna said in the e-mail.
"Rush next fall will be held as planned and we look forward to welcoming a great new class of Phi Delts into a brand new house," he said.
The campus community has offered a large amount of individual support, Peck said.
"I've personally received maybe 100 personal blitzes offering help," he said.
