On Saturday morning, a small fire broke out in the basement of the Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity house, and according to the Hanover Police Chief, it was not accidental.

According to the police report, the blaze erupted sometime around 6:00 a.m., but it was extinguished before any major damage could occur. While no one was injured, police discovered that the source of the fire was an empty Keystone box that was covered in kerosene and ignited under a pong table.

In other words, this was an act of arson and an attack on the fraternity membership.

The Dartmouth reports:

The fire incinerated the pong table, but the fire department extinguished the blaze before it could do further damage to the house, Fidel added.

“They said [if the fire had continued for] five or 10 more minutes, the main staircase or the ceiling would have caught and then there would have been a real problem,” he said.

[…] In Dec. 1999, four members of Phi Delta Alpha fraternity broke into Chi Gam and ignited a table and curtains using citronella oil, causing significant smoke damage to the basement, according to reports published in The Dartmouth at the time.

At this time, the police have not revealed whether or not they have any leads, but, if you or anyone you know have any information, please contact the Hanover Police.

Personally, my money is on a rival fraternity – or a secret society of Greek-hating cultists intent on purging the world of fraternities and sororities.