Updated: Video added, scroll down
SEVERAL MEMBERS OF AN OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY fraternity escaped injury Saturday when their “frat house” blew up while they were watching tv.
The Phi Kappa Psi students were watching the Oregon State – California football game when frat President Christopher Gerritz smelled gas and noticed a problem in the boiler room. He got everyone out of the frat house before the blast, which knocked two walls off their foundation.
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The blast destroyed the basement and the living room above it. The Corvallis Gazette-Times reports:
Eight fraternity brothers were watching the OSU football game in a room directly above the boiler when Gerritz popped into the house for a couple of minutes. While his fraternity brothers watched the game, he heard a sound and smelled natural gas. He went down to the boiler room to investigate.
“The steam was just billowing out of the door,” he said.
Gerritz said he knew he might have just seconds to act. He immediately cleared out the eight students watching TV and another four who were in their rooms. He also made sure the house dog, a Labrador-fox terrier mix named Yaeger, was rescued. He then led his fraternity brothers and the dog across the street.
The explosion followed in about 30 seconds, Gerritz said.
The building has been condemned and the members are currently not allowed inside to retrieve belongings and fraternity memorabilia because the house might fall in at any time.
The Gazette-Times has the full STORY.
KPTV Ch. 12 Portland has this video report:
