Residents of the Sigma Chi fraternity house didn't have a house to come home to after Easter.

A fire that broke out around 1 a.m. Saturday swept through the house on South Seventh Street, leaving the 13 brothers who lived there homeless.

SARAH WEBER/PENN No one was injured in the fire at the Sigma Chi fraternity house Saturday morning.

"Everyone is taking it in stride," said Taylor Livingston (senior, hospitality management), president of Sigma Chi.

Livingston said the parts of the house that weren't completely lost to fire had significant smoke and water damage, and little could be salvaged.

Ryan Miller, chapter adviser and alumnus, said he was told by authorities that the fire was caused by an intake valve on the boiler system that became disengaged from the gasline.

SARAH WEBER/PENN Sigma Chi brothers and alumni met in the Monongahela Room to discuss the brothers' immediate needs and plans for the future.

"It's so unfortunate because we have that boiler system serviced every year, and we just had parts of it upgraded in the fall," Miller said.

"It was a shock, but we've had overwhelming support from the community and from our alumni," Miller said. "Despite this tragedy, we plan to come back better and stronger than ever."

The university has offered to house the Sigma Chi brothers in emergency housing, and friends have taken in many of the brothers.

The Theta Chi fraternity has offered to house some of the brothers in extra rooms available in its house.

The American Red Cross has given the brothers vouchers for food and clothes, and the Co-op Store will be giving the Sigma Chi brothers books and any other school materials they need to finish the semester free of charge.

Former university president Lawrence Pettit also has offered to help the brothers put their lives back in order any way he can. Pettit is a Sigma Chi brother from another chapter but because of his involvement with the university he said he is just as close to this chapter as his own.

"The Sigma Chi bond is very, very strong. I'm just glad that nobody was hurt or killed," he said.

Sigma Chi is grateful for the community's support.

"We would really like to extend our thanks to the university," Miller said. "Our alumni, Betsy Schimoc, Randi Schneider, Michelle Fryling, Terry Appolonia. ... Everyone from the community and everyone else involved."

Sigma Chi brother Ian Welby (sophomore, physical education) was in the house when the fire started.

"Four of us weren't going to go home until Saturday," he said. "Two of the guys [were out of the house], and me and the other guy went to bed around midnight. I heard the smoke alarms at about 12:45 a.m.

"When I opened the door of my bedroom, the house was already filling with smoke. I just grabbed a T-shirt to cover my mouth and ran to get Brent up."

Welby said he kicked Brent Troyan's (senior, criminology) door until he awoke, and the two escaped the house unharmed.

"I lost all of my belongings," Welby said. "My room is right above the where the boiler exploded so everything is gone."

Welby said many alumni came to visit the house Saturday to support and console the brothers.

"We have an amazing core of alumni who have been very supportive," Miller said.

Miller said Sigma Chi hopes to have a new house in time for fall semester.

Ideally, he said, they will rebuild, but right now everything is tentative.