Students evacuated Browning Hall on Tuesday evening, Oct. 12, after trash bins on the south side of the building caught on fire.

Resident assistant Brandon Kidd was the first one to find the fire.

“I was taking my trash to the trash chute and noticed that something smelled funny,” Kidd said.

Kidd said that when he looked down the chute from the first floor, he noticed that the bins were on fire. He notified Public Safety and began to put out the fire using fire extinguishers. Kidd told The Pacer that when he noticed the fire, no fire alarms had been sounded and the sprinkler system in the trash chute was not dispersing water.

Moments later, the fire alarm sounded and resident assistants evacuated the building.

Fire departments from Martin, Union City, Sharon and Dresden were en route to the fire, but Dresden and Sharon were later told to turn back.

A university police officer was treated for smoke inhalation and released. Two residence hall student staff members also received precautionary treatment. No other injuries were reported.

The cafeteria in the UC was opened so that students could have some place to go.

As for the cause of the fire, University Relations Director Bud Grimes said that investigators believed it may have been because of a hot light bulb that had been dropped in the trash chute.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Katie High told The Pacer that students would be provided with cleaning supplies and baking soda, which would help remove the smell of smoke from the dorm rooms.

University officials have said that it would be quite some time before a total damage estimate was available.

Browning Hall houses 434 residents and was first opened for business in 1971.

In 1997, a fire in neighboring Ellington Hall claimed the life of a Korean exchange student, Jong-Do Ki. The cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation.