A fire in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 16 destroyed three cars and a fraternity house in Glassboro, New Jersey and left five students without a home.
Ryan Alwine, 21, and his girlfriend, Elisa Obedoza, 23, were sleeping at the 411 Hamilton Road home when neighbors began knocking on the door to wake them up just before 4:30 A.M.
After realizing the house, which is the university’s Phi Kappa Psi house, was on fire, Alwine and Obedoza grabbed what they could and got out.
Obedoza was able to retrieve her purse and jacket while Alwine was only able to grab his backpack and a few other things. A third resident, Jake Kershaw, who had just started living in the house, was also sleeping inside during the fire.
All three students made it out unharmed, while the house was completely destroyed.
Via NJ.com:
Wooden stairs that led to an upper level deck outside of bedrooms now lead to a charred black hole. The garage, where the fire allegedly started, was completely burned down — taking with it couches, a foosball table, a propane grill and many other things. The three cars that sat in the driveway, belonging to those inside, were melted down and charred beyond saving.
Additionally, the belongings of the five brothers living in the house and Kershaw, who was just moving in, were destroyed. Crews were still hard at work demolishing pieces of the property and moving the burned vehicles Tuesday morning after 10:30 A.M.
According to Rowan University Spokesman Joe Cardona, the university is working with the students to try and accommodate their needs. Furthermore, Cardona said that the landlord of the house has another vacant property that the students may move into.
A GoFundMe account was created to help the victims recuperate their losses from the fire. The account has already passed it’s $6000 goal.
There is no word yet on what caused the fire.