Jamie Horowitz, president of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, complained to his realtor yesterday afternoon about the house's inoperable sprinkler system.

About an hour later nearly 40 members of the fraternity stood shivering on a sidewalk as firefighters dragged hoses into their smoke-filled house at 501 E. Beaver Ave.

Although the fire caused only minor damage to one apartment, Horowitz said it may have been even less if the sprinklers were working.

The fraternity first notified Associated Realty Property Management, 456 E. Beaver Ave., on Saturday that the building's sprinkler system froze, Horowitz said. The broken sprinkler system had to be shut off, he said.

"I'm kind of annoyed that it wasn't fixed and I'm kind of scared because I knew something could happen," Horowitz said.

Dorothy Colton, vice president of Associated Realty, said the company notified its insurance agent and called a plumbing company after being alerted to the problem. Parts needed to fix the system will arrive later this week, she said.

Horowitz said Associated Realty told him someone would fix the sprinklers as soon as possible. "It was not soon enough, unfortunately," he said.

The fire, which started at about 4:50 p.m., was caused by burning incense, said Shawn Kauffman, assistant chief of Alpha Fire Company, 400 W. Beaver Ave.

The room was empty when the fire began, Horowitz said.

Fraternity Vice President Noel Forma said he entered the apartment and attempted to put out the flames after the alarm was activated and a fraternity member shouted "fire."

"The room was black and you couldn't see a thing," Forma said. "We had no idea what we were doing and that's why we left."

Kauffman said the damage was minor and due mostly to smoke, adding that the actual fire was only about 10 square feet.

"The tenants tried to contain it with a fire extinguisher and did a fairly good job of it," Kauffman said. "By the time we got here, there were just some smoldering CDs."

Still shaken after the fire, Horowitz said he was glad no one was injured. "I'm very proud of the way my brothers handled the fire," he said.

After firefighters gave the OK for members to go back in their house, Horowitz returned to Associated Realty and obtained a replacement fire extinguisher.