A fire that broke out in Wannamaker Dormitory early Sunday morning left the ceiling, furniture and other parts of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity commons room damaged.
At 4:21 a.m., Duke police responded to a fire alarm in the Wannamaker basement commons room, said Major Robert Dean of the Duke University Police Department.
Upon arrival, police reported heavy smoke coming from the area.
Officers evacuated the entire dorm and there were no reported injuries.
Durham Fire Department firefighters soon arrived and began to ventilate the building. Once the dorm was found to be safe, students were allowed to re-enter.
The fire commander said it appeared as though tar paper had caught on fire, but did not know how the paper ignited. Dean added that by the time fire officers arrived, the fire had smoldered itself out.
Junior Tom Norwood, vice president of Pika, said nearly all of the fraternity's members, who reside on the first floor closest to the basement room, were in Wilmington, N.C., for the group's annual formal when the fire broke out. He said when they got back, they had heard it was an electrical fire. He said there is an ongoing investigation.
Dean said there were no estimates about the property damage costs.
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