Pikehouse damaged in fire, ruled arson

On Saturday, December 6th, a fire was started at the Pike chapterhouse at the UW. The fire began in the back of the house but spread up the rear (west-facing) wall and did significant damage to the exterior of the house before it was extinguished by the Seattle Fire Department. The Fire Department has ruled that the fire was caused by arson. In a letter to Pike alumni, family, and friends, Chapter Advisor Dan Miller writes:
"The good news is that everyone is safe and no one was injured. Every safety system we have in place worked perfectly. The smoke detectors worked. The fire alarm worked. The fire monitoring service we employ did its job notifying the fire department. The fire drills we run quarterly to make sure guys know the exit routes and know to go door to door to physically get people up and out of the house worked. Because of this, everyone is safe." "In addition, we owe a debt of thanks not only to the Seattle Fire Department for its fast response, but also to the utility workers and specialists (as well as the undergraduates and alumni) who came in to get the chapter house operational again. Not 12 hours after the fire, we had power restored, hot water running, heat blowing, and refrigeration and cooking units back online."
"All that said, there is bad news and it is twofold. First, there’s the damage to the structure. It is substantial, but mainly is contained to the back of the house and the exterior. Very little smoke, water or fire damage occurred inside the chapter house. In fact, the Seattle Fire Department has checked the air quality and all fire-related contaminant levels and has given the structure a clean bill of health (at least as close as you can get after a fire). All but two of the rooms have been cleared for occupancy." "Those two rooms will need to have new walls and electrical wiring installed, as they share the exterior wall that was damaged during the fire. The individuals who occupy those rooms temporarily will bunk with other members whose rooms are not at capacity either at the main house or the annex." "It is likely that some people had personal belongings damaged due to the fire and/or fire fighting. If this is the case, you should contact your insurance company about making a claim on your homeowners insurance, as it typically covers the belongings of students while at college. The fraternity has been in contact with its insurance company and we will know more soon. We will be in contact with those whose belongings and/or living space have been damaged or destroyed." "The second piece of bad news is that fire investigators have confirmed that the fire was deliberately set, in other words, the work of an arsonist. It is not known at this point whether this was a practical joke gone horribly wrong or if someone was trying to do serious damage to the fraternity house and/or its members. We are cooperating fully with the Seattle Police Department as they try to catch those responsible and have provided them with all the details we have at this time. Many members were interviewed by investigators yesterday and we hope information we provided will be useful in the investigation." "Other fraternities are helping, as well. There appears to have been a witness at another fraternity whose window faces the back of our chapter house who gave a statement to police that he saw people running from the scene just as the fire began. We hope this and other leads people may have help catch the perpetrator. A special tip line (1-800-55-ARSON) has been set up and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case."	Fire damage to the rear of the Pikehouse Destroyed equipment on the back deck Fire damage in one of two affected bedrooms