ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 13, 1996 TAG: 9605130123
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
SOURCE: Associated Press
An early morning fraternity house fire killed five people Sunday, bringing tragedy to the University of North Carolina campus just hours before annual Mother's Day graduation ceremonies.
The cause of the blaze that gutted the Phi Gamma Delta house was not expected to be known for three or four days, fire department spokeswoman Jan Cousins said.
The identities of the dead were not released.
Ben Eubanks, 21, a junior and former president of the fraternity, was hospitalized in serious condition. Adam Jones, a 21-year-old junior and fraternity member, was in fair condition; and Anne Glenn, 21, not enrolled in the university, was listed in critical condition. Hospital officials would not disclose the nature of their injuries.
After the fire was doused, a search of the charred ruins for any other victims went slowly because of extensive damage and fears that part of the three-story brick building might collapse. By early evening, crews were shoring up the first and second floors of the 80-year-old building, which had collapsed into the basement.
The building did not have a sprinkler system, but one of the injured said a fire alarm awakened him. Fire Chief Dan Jones would not say when the house was last inspected.
At graduation ceremonies, Chancellor Michael Hooker briefly mentioned the fire, offering prayers for those who were injured. He did not mention the deaths. Most of the 30,000 in attendance were unaware how bad the fire was.
Tim Reid, president of the neighboring Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, saw a blaze out of control when he awakened.
``We went to the third-floor window and looked out, and flames were leaping over the top of the building,'' Reid said. ``We could see the smoke coming out and the flames coming out of the window. I knew it had to be bad. I was just hoping nobody was inside.''
A Saturday-night party at the Phi Gamma Delta house was still going strong when he went to bed about 1 a.m. Sunday, Reid said.
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB