A Bad Sign for a chapter...

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Dozens of stolen signs seized from fraternity house

ORONO, Maine -- Investigators looking into the cause of a fire that
damaged a University of Maine fraternity house found dozens of stolen
signs from highways, construction sites and businesses across Maine.

Altogether, 56 signs worth about $10,000 were seized from the Sigma
Alpha Epsilon house, said Sgt. Stewart Jacobs of the state fire
marshal's office. They included traffic control signs, municipal
street signs, restaurant signs and even a sign from the Yarmouth
Elementary School, he said. Most of the signs were mounted on walls
in rooms and in a basement lounge area.

Sprinklers helped to douse the fire on Wednesday, and 24 students
living in the chapter house escaped without injury. The blaze was
traced to clothing draped over a lamp in a third-floor bedroom.

Investigators found a number of safety violations including
electrical problems and disabled smoke detectors.

For now, students who were forced out by water and smoke damage will
not be allowed to return, Jacobs said.

"First and foremost, our concern is for the safety of the occupants,"
the investigator said Thursday. "The search warrant just spun out of
investigating circumstances of the fire."

Investigators noticed the signs when they entered the house and
returned later with a search warrant, Jacobs said.

The primary goal was to return the signs to the owners, but the
findings of the investigation will be turned over to the district
attorney's office to review for possible criminal charges, he said.

Among the signs were one welcoming visitors to the town of Orono and
others from DiMillo's Floating Restaurant in Portland and the Red
Lion restaurant in Bangor, along with other construction and road
signs.

(c) 2002 The Associated Press.