[OleMissGlitter]

This happened when I was a collegiate member of AOII, the community came together then to help the ATOs....

Monday, April 27 1998 © The Daily Mississippian
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early morning fire fills Alpha Tau Omega house with smoke
By Will Glover
Senior Staff Writer

An early morning fire Saturday at the Alpha Tau Omega house left approximately 35 fraternity members temporarily homeless after the fire caused extensive smoke damage to the house.
"Right now we're just staying with our brothers in their apartments," said Alpha Tau Omega president Brady Williamson.
The fire began around 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the house's boiler room, said interim Oxford Fire Chief Jerry Johnson.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
"Nothing at this point in time has been ruled out" including arson, Johnson said.
"Everybody was able to get out. There were no injuries other than a few minor scrapes," Johnson said.
"The fire damage is very limited. There is some smoke and heat damage, but there is basically no structural damage to the building."
Thirty-seven firefighters, three fire trucks and a ladder arrived on the scene two minutes after a phone call to 911 at 2:47 a.m. They were able to contain the fire to the boiler room and an adjacent room.
"We put exhaust fans in to ... limit the amount of smoke damage to the building." However, there was still "extensive smoke damage throughout the house" partly due to the ductile system of the house, Johnson said.
The front portion of the house, where the kitchen is located, sustained little damage.
All firefighters were gone by 4:30 a.m., and an investigation was conducted later in the morning.
Johnson still has more statements to take concerning the fire and has not talked to the person who discovered the fire, he said.
The fire came a few hours after the chapter held its annual Gator Bash. There were approximately 75 to 100 people left in the house at the time of the fire, said Buddy Chain, president of the local board of trustees of the fraternity.
The party Saturday night was moved to the Gin, which was reserved in case of rain, Williamson said.
Residents of the house were allowed into the house two at a time on Saturday and Sunday on an emergency basis.
"Starting tomorrow afternoon, we'll let folks go in there and get their stuff out -- basic stuff out," Chain said.
Chain said they will not open the house until at least the end of the semester.
"It wouldn't be conducive to studying or good health to let people live in there.
"If we can get the electricity back on, the house mother wants to do some feeding if she can."
Chain said the house will "definitely" be open for the fall.
The Alpha Tau Omega housing corporation will meet tomorrow to discuss the status of the house and to "try to get ready to open the house as soon as possible," Chain said.
The corporation will also discuss the house's insurance policy, which is through the University, and to make sure that all members who resided in the house have a place to stay.
"I'd like to thank the Oxford Police Department for a great job, and the University Police Department and the men of the fraternity," Chain said. "We feel very fortunate no one was injured."
"Our brotherhood could not get any better," Williamson said. "We're going to stick together through this."