CHAPEL HILL — June 10, 1996 - 6:26 p.m. EDT

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that two recent fires in University of North Carolina fraternity houses might be connected, and feel one or both of them may be linked to 15 suspicious fires in Orange County.

Fire officials are still sifting for clues at the Sigma Chi house at the University of North Carolina. A fire broke out there early Saturday morning, originating in a sofa in the basement.

The previous fire, in the Phi Gamma Delta house on Mothers' Day, also started in the basement at about the same time of day. Five people died in that blaze.

A recently installed fire alarm system woke up the eight students in the Sigma Chi house. All of them escaped without injury