Fire investigators have not ruled out arson as a possible cause of the fire that gutted the Penn State Veterans House Friday afternoon, leaving 21 people homeless.

Sometime within the brief five minutes resident Mike Dawson entered the house, walked upstairs and returned, the first floor game room burst into a wall of flame.

"The smoke was so intense and so quick it's just screwy," said Alpha Fire Chief Robert Kauffman. "Something's wrong somewhere."

He said because the fire appeared and spread so quickly, it is unlikely it was caused by an electrical outlet or appliance. House fires caused by an outlet usually take up to half an hour to get started, he said.

The owner of the house, Howard L. Gregg of 127 W. Outer Drive, could not be reached for comment during the weekend.

Fire officials surveyed most of the gutted structure yesterday except the suspected room, which was buried under the debris of the collapsed second and third floors, said Trooper Terry Miller, Rockview state police fire marshal.

If the house is razed, investigators must work closely with wreckers removing the debris in order to determine a possible cause of the fire, Miller said. The process could take up to two weeks, Kauffman said.

Miller said the fire originated in a game room at the rear of the house and spread through an open doorway to the living room and bar area. A wood stove in the living room had not been used for several days, he said.

Dawson, the house manager, said the building met all of the fire codes. He said each floor had three smoke detectors but no illuminated exit signs. Exit signs were painted on four doors in the house at the ground level, he said.

Steve Triebold, chief inspector of the Centre Region Code Administration, said yesterday he did not know whether the Veterans House was up to the current fire codes, but added that he plans to check his records.