Neb. fraternity house had passed inspection before fire, university says

? The fraternity house hit by a fire that killed one Nebraska Wesleyan University student passed fire inspection just two months before the blaze.

Greek houses affiliated with Nebraska Wesleyan University must show university officials they have passed fire inspections by providing certificates issued by the city, according to university spokeswoman Sara Olson. That last occurred in September, she said.

“Everything was in compliance according to the certificate issued by the city,” Olson said.

Fire inspectors and the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office have released little information about their investigation. But officials on Wednesday quieted speculation that a laptop computer found in the room of the student who died may have been the cause. Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey said earlier this week that investigators were trying to confirm or rule out the laptop as the ignitor of the blaze.

“We have no reason to believe the laptop was the source,” of the fire, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said. The police department is coordinating the investigation of the fire, the cause of which will probably not be determined this week. According to the chief, the laptop was not at the location where investigators believe the fire started.

Speculation the laptop may have been the cause was fueled by Lacey’s comments and the fact that several million Sony-made batteries have been recalled this year after reports of laptops smoking or bursting into flames.

State Fire Marshal Dennis Hohbein has said it does not appear the fire was set intentionally.

Three students besides the young man who died were hospitalized following the fire, but only one remains hospitalized. Twenty-year-old Aaron McGuire, of Sioux Falls, S.D., was released from St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center Tuesday. On Wednesday, Travis Mann, 22, of Beatrice, was released, and 20-year-old David Spittler from Elkhorn was upgraded from critical condition to serious.

Ryan Stewart, 19, of Ord, died Friday morning from smoke and soot inhalation.

Nebraska Wesleyan is a Methodist Church-affiliated liberal arts college founded in 1887. There are 1,800 students enrolled there, according to the university’s Web site.