A fire broke out at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house early Friday morning.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., fire trucks were dispatched to the fraternity house, according to tweets from OU students following the situation. Videos and photos taken around the same time showed much of the house already engulfed in the blaze.
On the morning of Friday May 8, 2020—Delta Tau Delta at The University of Oklahoma is completely engulfed in flames. This is so crazy to see. I grew up looking at this house across the street from my house every day. pic.twitter.com/Qal9wfR5kz
— Em (@EmilyAlinger) May 8, 2020
James Thompson, president of OU Interfraternity Council, confirmed that the fire was ongoing in an email sent to The Daily at 4:29 a.m., but no students were inside the house. In the email, Thompson said he was told the fire was sparked by a lightning strike as thunderstorms rolled through Norman, but a cause has yet to be confirmed.
“It was like a huge ball of flames coming up out of the top of the house,” said creative media production junior Preston Bragg, who was at the scene after firefighters arrived. “The whole front of the house was destroyed. (Firefighters) ended up busting through one of the walls to go inside and spray with the hose.”
Bragg said by the time he left the scene of the fire, "three or four" trucks were responding to help contain the flame.
The fire was still ongoing as of 5 a.m., and fire crews said they had contained the flame, according to News9.
