Officials: Fire Upgrades Saved Dartmouth Students

A sprinkler system in a 100-year-old Dartmouth College fraternity house is being credited with saving the lives of some of the students inside when the building caught fire.

Firefighters from New Hampshire and Vermont were called to the Phi Delta Alpha house in Hanover at about 5 a.m. Sunday.

Officials say 25-people lived in the house, although not all were there when the fire started. There were no injuries. A firefighter suffered minor injuries.

Hanover Fire Capt. Michael Hinsley tells the Valley News the sprinkler system “absolutely” saved the lives of the students living on the third floor.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, although residents had been using a wood-burning fireplace the night before the fire.