A fire in C tower of the Grant Towers North Residence Hall that started when a cigarette butt ignited a wicker wastepaper basket caused $500 in damage before it was extinguished.

Students noticed smoke coming from room 658 and alerted Resident Assistant Melissa Dessert, who grabbed an extinguisher, entered the room and put out the blaze.

Meanwhile, the room’s occupants, Jerry Chlopek and Terry Powell, who were visiting in a neighbor’s room, saw smoke coming from their room. Chlopek and floor resident Mike Manning triggered the fire alarms at about 8:30 p.m. The University Police and the DeKalb Fire Department arrived three minutes later.

Although students began evacuating Grant North once the alarm was triggered, the UPs and firefighters said only the fifth, sixth and seventh floors needed to be completely evacuated because the blaze was extinguished. Firefighters used fans to clear the smoke-filled sixth-floor.

Chlopek, Manning and Powell were taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital where they were treated for cuts on their hands and smoke inhalation.

The fire damaged part of a wall, the ceiling, the floor and shelves beneath one desk.

James Brunson, area coordinator for Grant Towers, said the students will have to pay for damages. The students also violated residence hall guidelines by not having a metal garbage can and by smoking in a room designated as a no-preference for smoking room.