As the temperature lowers and the use of heaters and fireplaces rises, house fires become a more prevalent issue.
Unfortunately, this has been the case for the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house throughout the years.
On April 1, 1941, The Collegian published, “Faulty chimney insulation was thought to be the cause of a fire in the Delta Tau Delta house shortly after 4:30 Saturday afternoon.”
The article continued, “Dave Rucklos was first to discover the flame and call the fire department. The boys removed clothes and furnishing from the upper regions of the house. A variety of articles, ranging from beds to electric alarm clocks were thrown from the windows.”
I can’t imagine that in a fire I would be concerned about saving the alarm clocks. But then again, this was 1941, and alarm clocks may have been a bit of a hot item.
The story ended with this quote: “The fire, occurring unfortunately only three hours before the informal dance held at the house that night, did more damage than any since 1936.”
For a concluding sentence, that line leaves a lot to unpack.
First of all, what a bummer that the fire occurred at the location of the informal. That is taking Sean Kingston’s “fire burning on the dance floor” a bit too seriously.
Also, the fire did more damage than any since 1936? Just how many fires occur in the Delt house?
Apparently a lot.
An April 1, 1941 gossip column published in the Collegian wrote, “Speaking of smoke, the Delt ‘fire’ motto seems to be ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.”
On March 7, 1944, the Collegian reiterated this motto, publishing, “The annual fire at the Delt House came a little early this year when some sparks from the chimney ignited the roof last Thursday night.”
The article continues, “These fires are fast becoming a tradition at Hillsdale. At least one has occurred annually for the past five years.”
And the previously mentioned 1936 fire?
That one was a doozy.
On April 13, 1936 The Collegian published, “That practical joker, April Fool, played a rather costly prank on the Delta Tau Delta fraternity during spring vacation. Around 11 o’clock on the morning of April First, Jack Rigg, one of the local mailmen going his rounds, noticed that the front roof of the Delt house was in flames.”
The article continues, “Mrs. Ida Flowers, chapter house-mother, was the only person at the fraternity when the fire broke out. She did not realize that anything was wrong until the neighbors came and told her that the house was burning.”
It is never a good situation when you open your door to someone telling you that your house is on fire.
Even 40 years later, the Delt house was still experiencing fires. On Jan. 29, 1981, The Collegian wrote, “The Delt house was in the process of replacing a bathroom when a plumber’s welding torch accidentally caught the bathroom wall insulation on fire.”
These frat boys just can’t catch a break.
“As the workmen were calling the fire department, the fire spread into the upstairs bathroom and front hall,” the article reads.
Luckily, the Delts looked at this fire with a glass-half-full attitude.
The Collegian said, “President John Keen said, ‘the fire came at a bad time at first, but overall we benefited because of the reconstruction of the house.”
If you are wondering if the Delts took any fire-preventative measures after years of flames, you can be assured they did.
In fact, on March 29, 1962 The Collegian published, “May this campus be safe from fires; and it is, more or less. The men of Delta Tau Delta have purchased a bright red fire truck.”
They really faced their fire problems head on.
Luckily for current students, I have not heard of a fire at the Delt house during my time at Hillsdale, so we can hope that the day of flames are finally over for the men of Delta Tau Delta.
