Ohio State University has placed its Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter on interim suspension pending a full investigation, after a video circulated online showing two people whose clothing caught fire during what appeared to be wrestling outside on Saturday, according to reporting by The Columbus Dispatch and The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper.
The university announced the suspension in a statement issued late Sunday night. “The university is aware of this extremely concerning incident, and the individuals in question are receiving needed medical care,” Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson told The Columbus Dispatch. The Lantern reported the same statement from university spokesperson Chris Booker, who told The Lantern by email that Ohio State “has placed the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity on interim suspension pending a full investigation, and the university has made referrals to law enforcement.”
According to The Columbus Dispatch’s description of the video, two individuals are seen in what appears to be wrestling outside, with one participant’s sweatpants on fire. That individual lunged at a second individual, whose sweatpants also immediately caught fire. A third person tried unsuccessfully to use a fire extinguisher, and both participants fell to the ground, rolled around and began pulling their sweatpants off.
The Dispatch reported that several onlookers intervened and helped one person smother his fire, but not before he stripped off his clothes entirely to escape the flames. Dozens of other students wearing Ohio State sports apparel surrounded the incident with phones in hand, laughing as the two participants could be heard yelling while on fire, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The Lantern reported the video was posted on X at about 8:30 p.m. and showed multiple people tackling each other to the ground in an attempt to extinguish the burning clothes.
The Lantern identified the chapter as the Ohio Theta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Ohio State, located on Indianola Avenue. The Lantern also reported that the fraternity is labeled as an inactive student organization on an Ohio State website, and that the chapter has since made its Instagram account private.
An interim suspension is the university’s strongest immediate step while an investigation runs: the chapter’s status as a recognized student organization is paused, and The Lantern’s reporting that the chapter is now listed as inactive reflects that standing. Ohio State’s statement, as reported by The Lantern, added that the university “is committed to a safe and healthy environment and expects students and student organizations to uphold that commitment and the university’s values.”
The incident lands at a moment when Ohio State’s campus leadership is already under public scrutiny on other fronts — a state senator recently condemned the university for keeping the Wexner name on campus buildings, in our earlier coverage of the Wexner name dispute. This case is unrelated to that debate, but both now sit with the same university administration as it weighs how student organizations and campus institutions are held to account.
The timeline, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch and The Lantern: the incident occurred Saturday, Nov. 7; the video was posted on X at about 8:30 p.m. and circulated widely among students before going viral, according to The Lantern and The Columbus Dispatch; Ohio State issued its statement late Sunday night, Nov. 8, announcing the interim suspension and the law-enforcement referrals; and both outlets had published their reporting by Monday morning, Nov. 9, with The Lantern describing its coverage as an ongoing story it will update as more information is obtained.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What is confirmed, from the university statement reported by both The Columbus Dispatch and The Lantern: the incident happened Saturday, Nov. 7; two individuals were set on fire and are receiving medical care; the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter is on interim suspension; and the university has made referrals to law enforcement. What is not yet known, The Columbus Dispatch reported explicitly, is the severity of the two individuals’ injuries and whether any charges have been filed. Neither outlet named the two individuals, and NewsForce247 is not naming anyone the sources have not identified.
Also still unanswered: how the fire started, whether the two individuals are Ohio State students, which hospital is treating them, and whether the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter or its national organization will respond publicly. No statement from the chapter or the national fraternity appeared in either outlet’s reporting as of Monday morning.
What happens next is the university’s full investigation, which will determine the chapter’s longer-term status, and any decisions by law enforcement following the university’s referrals. NewsForce247 will append confirmed developments to this story as they are verified.
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