Updated 7:30 p.m. July 9, 2026.
Multiple Centre County fire companies responded to a fire that damaged a Penn State fraternity house on Thursday afternoon.
Alpha Fire Company was dispatched at about 3:45 p.m. to the Alpha Zeta House at 360 N. Burrowes Rd. and found heavy smoke coming on the roof from what Centre Region Fire Director Shawn Kauffman called an “obvious attic fire.” Smoke and flames could be seen coming from the upper floor of the house located near Rec Hall and about a block away from artist tents on Burrowes Road for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
Contractors who were working on the house called 911 and tried to extinguish the fire before crews arrived, Kauffman said. He added that he believes the fire was related to construction activities, though did not yet know specifically where or how it started.
Second and third alarms were sounded to send additional fire companies to aid the response. The fire was marked under control after more than an hour, and extensive overhaul was ongoing early Thursday evening.
No residents were inside at the time and none of the contractors were injured, Kauffman said. Several firefighters received rehab treatment for heat-related fatigue, but none had to be transported to the hospital.
“One of the biggest challenges today was we were facing high heat and the temperatures got very high, so we had to filter more people through rehab,” Kauffman said. “We ended up calling third alarm special calls just to make sure that we had enough people to to staff the crews.”
In addition to Alpha, Boalsburg, Pleasant Gap, Bellefonte, Pleasant Gap and Port Matilda fire companies, Penn State EMS and Penn State police responded.
The attic sustained heavy fire damage, while the rest of the house has significant smoke and water damage. Residents have been notified, and fraternity advisors planned to attempt to salvage memorabilia and other items, Kauffman said.
“The property is going to be uninhabitable for a period of time,” he said.
Burrowes Road between Pollock Road and West College Avenue is closed off for the Arts Festival route, so firefighters approached the scene from the north, Kauffman said.
“We had limited access because of Arts Fest. We opted to come in from the north just because it was faster than trying to move barriers for the Arts Fest,” he said. “Once we got established, we had the barriers moved and we’re able to get in. So our plan for the emergency access, we were able to get through OK.”
Penn State sent an emergency alert during the response advising people to stay away from the area. North Burrowes Road between Pollock and Curtin roads was expected to remain closed until about 8:30 p.m.
