Chapter House Fire - Help the Brotherhood Rebuild


 
 
 
 

Chapter House Fire Details

A fire early on the morning of October 3, 2005 at the chapter house of the Alpha Pi chapter of Zeta Psi Fraternity at 303 E. Roanoke Street in Blacksburg, Virginia did serious damage. According to Blacksburg Fire Chief Keith Bolte the fire did about $75,000 in damage. The blaze, which is believed to have started on a couch on the front porch, is being considered suspicious and is under investigation by police.

Though the fire did serious damage and the brothers living in the house will have to stay with other brothers for the time being, everyone is safe and the chapter will persevere.

If you have any information about the fire or you saw anything suspicious at or near the chapter house the night of October 2nd or early morning October 3rd, please contact the Blacksburg Police Department. Any information, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, may help the police anf fire department in determining who or what was responsible for the fire.

Officials in Blacksburg call fire at Zeta Psi house suspicious
(WDBJ7, October 3, 2005 - story and video)

Pictures of the fire
(127 pictures as of October 3, 2005 12:25 PM)

Police look for cause of frat house blaze
(Roanoke Times, October 3, 2005)

Fire department to inspect Blacksburg's "Greek" houses
(WSLS NewsChannel 10, October 3, 2005)

Fire turns Tech fraternity house into furnace
(WSLS NewsChannel 10, October 3, 2005)

Authorities search for source of frat fire
(Roanoke Times, October 4, 2005)

Flames engulf Zeta Psi house
(Collegiate Times, October 4, 2005)

Tech frat house fire leads to investigation
(Roanoke Times, October 4, 2005)

Fire ravages fraternity house
(News Messenger, October 6, 2005)

Students owe Zeta Psi their assistance
(Collegiate Times, October 11, 2005)

Greek community bans together for Zeta Psi
(Collegiate Times, October 14, 2005)

Get out of bed, fire drills may save your life
(Collegiate Times, October 18, 2005)

Loss of memories still stings fraternity
(Roanoke Times, November 14, 2005)

Spread the Word

Let your friends, Zeta Psi brothers worldwide, the men and women of Virginia Tech and the people of Blacksburg know about the situation in this time of need.

Updates

To stay updated, please read the emails on the alumninews and brotherbabble email lists. alumninews is open to elders and brotherbabble is open to elders and actives. List archives are accessible via the website to those who are subscribed. If you aren't subscribed, follow the instructions on the appropriate pages (see links above) and you will be added after your identity has been verified.

Also, feel free to contact elder chapter secretary Mark Menton at markmenton@hotmail.com if you have any questions pertaining to the fire.
2005-10-13 09:17 PM
A benefit concert is being held Friday, October 14 at Top of the Stairs in Blacksburg from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The concert, which is sponsored by Lambda Chi Alpha, FIJI, Delta Sigma Phi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon will feature the Shane Hines and the Trance and possibly another band. Admission is $3 at the door and is open to patrons under 21. Show your support and spread the word!
2005-10-05 01:32 PM
A private image gallery is available here. For access, see instructions in the email sent to brotherbabble, alumninews and the actives' list a few minutes before this entry or contact an officer.
2005-10-04 09:11 AM
A private image gallery will be made available where pictures of the house can be posted and viewed. The URL will be posted to alumninews later today.
2005-10-04 09:07 AM:
An article was printed by the student-run newspaper at Virginia Tech, the Collegiate Times. Flames engulf Zeta Psi house. Additional articles can be found above.
2005-10-03 08:45 PM:
Elder chapter president Brian Ferrenz and active chapter president John Dileo shared information about the fire and fielded questions in a conference call. Brian Ferrenz will email a recap to the elder chapter email mailing list, alumninews, tomorrow.
2005-10-03 10:25 AM:
Some members of the alumni board have gone to Blacksburg to evaluate the situation.
2005-10-03 10:06 AM:
A "Fire Fund" Casino Night & Hold'Em Tourney will be held Saturday, October 22 at 7:00 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 214 Lawyers Road, Vienna, VA. Proceeds will be contributed to the fire fund. The cost is $50 per person, with a $100 entry fee for the Hold'Em tournament. For additional details, contact Brian Sullivan at brian@shamrockgroup.com.
2005-10-03 03:42 AM:
There will be a conference call tonight at 8 PM EST to talk about our insurance coverage and relay any facts that we've collected. For the phone number and passcode, contact a board member.

Donate to the fire fund via PayPal

We are accepting donations to the fire fund via check and online via PayPal. We have been using PayPal to accept donations online for several years.

Please note that PayPal donations via this page are flagged as being for the fire fund, while donations via the normal "Make a Donation" page on this site are flagged as being for the general fund, so if you want to donate to the fire fund, use this page. The extent of the damage to the house and brothers' possessions is still being determined, as are potential courses of action. The deductible on our insurance policy is $10,000 and the half dozen brothers who lives in the chapter house are displaced, so regardless of the course of action, costs will be steep.

One-time donation:
$10 $25 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $400 $500  

Or you can specify any amount you'd like below:
One-time donation:  
You can verify that the PayPal account is active and belongs to the alumni association by clicking here.

You may also donate by check. Checks should be payable to "Alpha Pi Tau Zeta Psi Alumni", with a note in the memo field of "Zeta Psi Fire Fund" and mailed to:

Bob Clements, Treasurer
12510 Quarterhouse Lane
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Upcoming Events

Fall Alumni Weekend (Marshall @ VT in football)

October 7-9, 2005
Blacksburg, VA
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Previous Events

2005 Zeta Psi International Convention

August 17-20, 2005
Boston, MA
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First Annual Casino Night

July 17, 2004
Vienna, VA
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Zeta Psi International Convention

August 11-14, 2004
Toronto, Canada
--------------------------------

Fall Alumni Weekend (WVU @ VT in football)

October 1-3, 2004
Blacksburg, VA

2005-2006 Officers

President
Brian Ferrenz

Vice President
Chris Fazio

Secretary
Mark Menton

Treasurer
Bob Clements

Historian
Bill Hendrickson

Elder Advisor
Will Wright

Members at Large
Brian Grozdanoff
Tom Hyde
Brian Sullivan

2004-2005 Officers

President
Brian Ferrenz

Vice President
Jim Robertello

Secretary
Brian Larsen

Treasurer
Bob Clements

Historian
Steve Werby

Elder Advisor
Chris Fazio

Members at Large
Mark Menton
Jason Smith
Ryan Williams


Copyright 1998-2005 Alpha Pi Tau Alumni Association