On behalf of the entire Greek system at East Carolina University, I offer our deepest sympathies to the families (biological and Greek) who have lost loved ones.

They will continue to be in our thoughts an prayers.

Y'all watch those grills. Several years ago, my family had a condo on Lake Travis in Austin and the family in the next condo left their grill burning. It set their deck, then ours on fire--no one was home at the time--and burned down several condos.:(

Possible Cause
 

"One of Allison's roomates was able to make it out, just barely. She told Walden a pizza left in the oven and forgotten about may have started the fire."

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7280102

The Victims...
 

One of by best friends growing up in South Carolina was the president of SAE at USC...my heart is breaking for him right now...


"Names of the victims had not been announced by authorities. But relatives and friends identified six family members who died:


The father of Allison Walden, 19, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, confirmed his family is planning a memorial service for his daughter.

Terry Walden told The State he sent his daughter’s dental records for identification purposes.

Walden said after speaking with his daughter’s roommate, Fallon Sposato, he believes his child never woke after going to sleep early Sunday. Sposato was at the house with Walden, but escaped the blaze, he said.


Sophomore Travis Cale, 20, of Greenville was among the students who perished, his brother Burns told The State.

Cale, an upbeat and quick-witted young man, graduated from J.L. Mann High School in 2006 and grew up a Gamecock fan, friends and relatives said.


Lauren Mahon of Simpsonville is another victim, according to a memorial page set up by her friends on Facebook.

A freshman, Mahon listed law and real estate as her academic concentrations on her Facebook profile page.

Mahon is also listed as a 2007 pledge for the USC chapter of Delta Delta Delta on the sorority’s Web site.

Mahon’s friend, Megan Maness, set up the page today in memory of Mahon.


Friends of Cassidy Pendley told the Charleston Post and Courier that the Fort Dorcester High School graduate was among the victims. Memorial pages for her are posted online.


Anna Lee Rhea said her older brother, William, was among the dead - a devastating blow to their older brother, Andrew, who made it out of the house alive.

"Everybody loved him. Everybody really misses him," she said in a brief telephone interview with the Associated Press. "You couldn't help but love him."


Stephen Anderson, 23, told the Wilmington (N.C.) Star his younger brother Justin, a USC sophomore who grew up in Greenville, was among those who died."

http://www.thestate.com/news/story/214172.html

This just got closer...just found out one of my pledge sister's cousin was survivor of this incident. I can't imagine what the survivor's must be going through as well!

They are in my prayers!

My college suitemate's daughter survived, but has been readmitted to the hospital. Sadly, her mother died from a brain tumor about 10 years ago. They owned the house. It just breaks my heart how much they have had to endure and now this. Such a horrible accident. I ask you to keep them in your continued prayers.

Here is a list of the victims with a profile for each (from The State newspaper):

http://thestate.com/news/story/215033.html

Four of the survivors were also listed in the paper, but I didn't see a link online. The owner's daughter was one and the brother of one of the victims was another. The other 2 listed were a Tri Delta and the young man who jumped from the 3rd floor into the canal below.

So all in all, it looks like three SAEs, three Tri-Delts and one DZ were lost in the fire.

So very heartbreaking for the Greek community, USC, Clemson, family, friends... continued prayers to all.

cause of fire
 

Smoking Caused Fire
 

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/218573.html

"North Carolina investigators cannot rule out smoking as the cause of Sunday's fire at an Ocean Isle Beach home that claimed the lives of six USC students and one Clemson student, the State Bureau of Investigation said today.

Agents said the fire left so much damage that investigators could not pinpoint the cause, though they believe the fire began on a rear deck of the three-story home. Discarded smoking materials could have played a role, a preliminary report states.

Six of the 13 students staying at the house smoked, according to the local District Attorney Rex Gore.

The SBI said the investigation is not complete. It is awaiting toxicology test results on the seven victims, each of whom appeared to have died either of carbon monoxide poisoning or smoke inhalation.

Agents said that survivors told them that smoke detectors in the home sounded. But investigators are still looking into where the detectors were located and the brands of the devices.

Investigators continue to examine the speed at which the fire progressed and other "contributing factors."

The town’s mayor, Debbie Smith, read the report at a news conference but did not elaborate on its contents.

She said she knows national and international fire code officials have been debating whether to require household sprinklers, which the charred house at 1 Scotland St. did not have.

Though Smith was flanked by five local officials, none of the others would answer questions."

Memorial sevice Wednesday at the Koger Center

http://uscnews.sc.edu/ADMN310F-07.html

And a fund has been set up...

http://uscnews.sc.edu/STUD_Web090-07.html

It's the Koger Center, not the Kroger Center.

^^^^
As a USC alum, you would think I would know how to spell it. :p Thanks! :)

Tomorrow marks one year since the Carolina Beach Fire. Services and programs were held over the weekend to mark this tragic event.

The Tri-Delta story:

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/564299.html

The SAE Story:

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/564293.html

Remembrance service:

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/565523.html

That is so sad. You'd think something like that will never happen to you or anyone you know. And then it does. It scares me.