After a fire that authorities say could have proved fatal at Theta Chi fraternity early Friday morning, local fire officials and community members are reflecting on fire safety for students.
Although an automatic sprinkler system prevented the spread of multiple fires set in Theta Chi during a party, there were multiple fire hazards for those within the house.
“I really believe this would have been a fatal fire if those sprinklers were (not there),” East Lansing Fire Marshal Bob Pratt said.
Non-working smoke detectors were found in Theta Chi during a Sept. 29 inspection by the city of East Lansing, according to a city clerk.
Multiple fire alarms from the fraternity were found disabled or missing during the inspection.
The fraternity replaced some of the smoke detectors in the house before the fire, but did not have time to replace all of the ones found in violation, said Michael Lomonaco, a board member and Theta Chi alumnus.
The local Theta Chi chapter alumnus manages and owns the property at 453 Abbot Road.
Members of Theta Chi were issued criminal citations for tampering with a fire protection device, Pratt said.
Citations have a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
East Lansing city inspectors and fire officials check alarm systems and smoke detectors during inspections.
If smoke detectors are not working, they should be fixed or replaced before residents go to sleep that day, Pratt said.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy with smoke detectors,” Pratt said.
Sometimes, residents will forget to replace their smoke detector batteries, Pratt said.
Elementary education junior Delon Wills took the batteries out of her old apartment’s smoke detector for about a week, but replaced them after the detector began beeping constantly.
“I know that it’s required to have smoke detectors, and that they’re working,” Wills said.
“That’s a good thing that they actually do inspections to make sure they’re working.”
Other times, residents intentionally will disable smoke detectors before parties so they can smoke in the house without the alarm sounding, said Ed Comeau, editor of Campus Firewatch, an online publication about fire safety.
Lack of an automatic sprinkler system, careless disposal of smoking materials, couch or furniture fires, missing smoke detectors and alcohol impairment are the most common factors in fires in student housing, Comeau said.
Some of these hazards were present at Theta Chi, Pratt said.
People within the house were intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness and didn’t wake up to evacuate the house when fire alarms were sounding, he said.
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Theta Chi members will move back into their house today. They hope others also can learn from their experience, Lomonaco said.
“We’ve all learned from this — hopefully (it will) help us be more conscious safety-wise of who’s coming in and out of the house,” he said.
Staff writer Kyle Campbell contributed to this report.
