Theta Chi Greek house suffers suspicious fires Sunday morning

No one injured in blaze, five ignition points found near building

IAN SMAY, Evergreen reporter

Investigators from both the Pullman Fire Department and Police Department called the cause of the Sunday morning fire that destroyed Theta Chi’s wooden deck “suspicious.”

Firefighters found multiple blazes around the house after arriving on-scene, according to a news release by Glenn Johnson, Pullman fire public information officer. Residents of the house woke up to sounds of the deck fire and called emergency services at about 5:15 a.m.

The deck was destroyed in the fire, and members of the chapter told firefighters they had previously extinguished flames at the front of the house with a garden hose, according to the release. As investigators inspected the area further, they found an attempted fire in a patio area.

Firefighters discovered a total of five ignition points around the building, fire investigator Tony Nuttman said.

No one was injured in the fires, but a vehicle and a dumpster near the deck suffered heat damage, according to the release. The house didn’t sustain damage, but the deck was destroyed.

Police officers obtained evidence but haven’t named any suspects, according to the release.