Just before dawn on May 8, 1999, a fire broke out on the third floor of the Sigma Chi fraternity house on South College Avenue. The blaze was ignited by a candle in a shoebox lid that had been placed at the opening of a tiny enclosed loft in which two students were sleeping.
Columbia firefighters responded to the alarm at 4:57 a.m. and, within 20 minutes, had extinguished the fire. That wasn’t quick enough to save Dominic Passantino. While his roommate scrambled to safety, the freshman from Leawood, Kan., was trapped by the flames. He died of smoke inhalation.
Sigma Chi hadn’t been inspected for adherence to local fire code regulations since 1994. Sigma Chi no longer has a chapter at MU. The fire underscored the need for the Columbia Fire Department to inspect fraternity and sorority houses annually.
Yet, six years later, MU’s Greek houses, fraternities in particular, remain some of the most hazardous buildings in Columbia. Since 2002, when the Fire Department started keeping regular records on Greek houses, the department has cited fraternities and sororities for nearly 400 code violations, according to the available city records.
In 2003 alone, inspectors cited 47 Greek houses for more than 180 fire code violations; just three houses were found to be in compliance. Because some houses are awaiting re-inspection, the department is still compiling its records for 2004. However, Lt. Debbie Sorrell of the Fire Department, who coordinates and conducts Greek house inspections for the Fire Department, said that the total number of violations last year is consistent with years past.
A fire away from disaster - Columbia Missourian
