Ohio State Fraternity Fire Follow-Up: Columbus Police Team With Fire Arson Unit, Incident Dated to Nov. 7

There is a new law-enforcement development in the fraternity fire at Ohio State University in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. In a statement on November 9, the Columbus Division of Police confirmed that the incident appears to have happened on November 7, in the 1900 block of Indianola Avenue, and said police are working with Ohio State University and the Columbus Division of Fire's arson unit to determine whether any criminal acts occurred. When GSM first reported the story, the date of the incident was not clear; this is the first time police have pinned it down.

Police said in the statement that they received no calls for service to the area on the night of November 7. Officers responded on November 8 only after Ohio State University alerted them to the video circulating on social media. The statement said police will be working with Ohio State University, as well as the Columbus Division of Fire's arson unit, to determine if any criminal acts occurred.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the video does not appear to have been filmed at Sigma Alpha Epsilon's main fraternity house, but at a nearby property at 1980 Indianola Ave that matches the setting in the footage; fraternities often use such annex properties to host events. The property owner did not return calls, and neither the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization nor its local chapter returned requests for comment.

Whether the video is connected to hazing remains unresolved. The Dispatch reported that sources said it is too soon to say whether the incident was hazing. Ohio State's Campus Hazing Transparency Report shows Sigma Alpha Epsilon has not been involved in any other violations in the last five years, while nine fraternities and 12 individuals are listed as having violations in 2026. The chapter is currently listed as inactive on the university's student organization website and appears on its interim suspensions list, and it recently made its Instagram account private.

Three facts remain undisclosed: what caused the fire, how seriously the two individuals were injured, and whether any charges have been filed. Ohio State has placed the fraternity on interim suspension pending a full investigation, and the individuals in question are receiving medical care. GSM does not reproduce the viral video; the account above follows the police statement and published reporting.

Related: Ohio State Suspends Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity After Viral X Video Shows Two People on Fire

Source: Columbus Division of Police

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：俄亥俄州立大学校园South Oval资料图（Maria Rimmel摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons），非事发现场画面。/ File photo: The South Oval at Ohio State University (by Maria Rimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); not a photo from the incident.

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