Phi Kappa Psi - University of Iowa

THE SPIRIT OF PHI PSI PERSISTS REFLECTING ON IOWA ALPHA FIRE 30 YEARS LATER The hawkeye Iowa alpha Chapter of phI Kappa psI • fall 2024 THE DAY IT HAPPENED On January 19, 1994, Barry Sackett '88 completed the Iowa Bar exam. Visiting Iowa City from his home of Washington, D.C., he celebrated with friends that evening and spent the night at the Iowa Alpha Chapter House (where his younger brother, Frank '92, lived). Barry was startled awake the next morning by a fire alarm. "I was on the second floor and the fire had started on the first—literally right below me," he recalled. "That alarm got us out of the house pretty quickly." As Barry and undergraduate members gathered outside, Frank realized those who slept in the basement hadn't come out. He reentered the house from the other side, descending the stairs on the far side from where the fire had started. "He woke them up, got them out, and probably saved their lives," Barry said. Three Brothers were treated for minor injuries that day, including Kyle Carstensen '91, who jumped through his bedroom window. BETWEEN TWO EXTREMES The fire at 363 N. Riverside Drive was reported to the Iowa City Fire Department around 9 a.m. on January 20. Coincidentally, units were gathered at ICFD Station 1 for a training day, which shortened the response time to four minutes. Upon arrival, rescue units saved six students from the third-floor balcony. Once every resident was accounted for, all units shifted to attacking the fire directly. "[The house] sat on top of a ridge, and it was a very cold day," said Lt. Scott Goolsby, who was involved fighting the fire upon arrival. "The fire was difficult to extinguish, as there were thick smoke conditions from top to bottom on the inside. The extreme cold also assisted in keeping the smoke from leaving the structure, making entry totally blacked out." Off-duty personnel like Darrall Brick were called in as the fire reached "second alarm" status; Darral was assigned to a reserve rig. The ICFD received assistance from nearby fire departments (such as Coralville and West Branch) as well as crews from Johnson County Ambulance. A city bus was on site all day, providing a resting place for crews when not assigned to a task. Each crew dealt not only with the typical building fire hazards, but also freezing weather conditions. Masks and water lines frequently froze, and ice on the hills created further hazards. "The large size of the building made it a challenge," Darrall said. "The pumper truck actually froze to the ground due to the water icing over." In the afternoon, several hours of water application brought the fire under control. Crews spent the next five hours on "overhaul," investigating to ensure the fire was out. One crew watched the building overnight, safeguarding a secure scene for the fire marshal's investigation the next day. "It was one of the biggest fires we fought in my 30 years on the department," Darral said. "The size of the property and the fire made it challenging—and one I will never forget. The weather and the building construction made it a difficult fight." "We were extremely fortunate not to have fire casualties. Luckily, it didn't happen in the middle of the night," Scott said. A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK AND A LITTLE BIT OF LOSS Twenty of the 22 live-in members were home at the time and all their possessions were lost—as was the 130-year Chapter House itself. Two months before, city inspectors cited Iowa Alpha for 118 housing code violations. Most were minor (and not an uncommon number for Greek houses at the time), but several structural issues relating to fire safety were reported as well. In the process of addressing these issues, Iowa Alpha had the building's electrical fire alarm system checked on January 10—10 days before the fire. The system was approved, and (as Barry can attest) worked as intended on that challenging day. In terms of Iowa Alpha history, one of the heftiest material losses was a display case dedicated to Nile C. Kinnick '38, beloved Brother, Heisman winner, and war hero. Among the trophies, photos, and newspaper clippings of Brother Kinnick, the one item that would have survived the fire was a unique bronze bust of Nile himself—except it mysteriously disappeared the prior fall. Thankfully, sometime after the fire the bust was found in the river and returned to Iowa Alpha. The bust is currently on loan to the university for display at the UI Athletics Hall of Fame. (Continued on page 2) "It was one of the biggest fires we fought in my 30 years on the department. The size of the property and the fire made it challenging—and one I will never forget." –Darral Brick, firefighter

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