News
A fire at the College-owned Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity house got out of control during Thanksgiving break and caused $5,000 of structural damage to the house.
According to Hanover Fire Department Captain Jon Whitcomb, heat seeped through cracks in the fireplace to start the blaze.
Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels said the problem probably stemmed from deteriorated mortar in the house's fireplace and the proximity of wood in the house to the chimney.
The College can do a visual inspection of the fireplaces in the fraternities and sororities it owns, but it is impossible to check the condition of the mortar between a fireplace and wall or to know whether structural supports are too close to a fireplace, Eckels said.
Fireplaces built by the College today conform to National Fire Protection Association Codes, but Eckels said he has no way of knowing how many of the older fireplaces do not.
"If I had my preference [the College] would not be using the fireplaces," Eckels said, who was also concerned some students do not know how to light fires safely.
Assistant Director of Operations and Residential Life Bernard Haskel said the College would pay for repairs to the house.
"It was nothing [the brothers] did wrong.