Douglas Hall was evacuated after a garbage can caught fire in room 373C at around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The residence hall was evacuated and police and firefighters were on the scene shortly, but the fire had already been extinguished. No one was seriously injured.

“Our investigators and the NIU police department are working together to determine the cause and origin of this fire,” said DeKalb Fire Chief Lanny Russell. “We got the call this morning, and an update about a minute later that there were smoke and flames showing, because it takes two pull systems to activate the alarm. They were able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.”

Fire alarms in the residence halls are set up in pairs, and both must be activated in order for the siren to sound. The first alarm notifies the front desk in the residence hall and the second sets off the siren, Russell said.

Smoke detectors in the hallways perform both of these functions when activated, Russell said.

“I was woken up by pounding on my door and I heard the beeping of an in-room smoke detector,” said Brian Lanners, community adviser for Douglas C3. “I pulled the first fire alarm, the one by their door, but I knew it wouldn’t set off an audible alarm. So I ran all the way down to the other end of the hall to the other alarm. The case on the first one just opened up, but the second one didn’t open, so I punched through the glass.”

Lanners was taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, where he received three stitches in his hand.

Both residents of room 373C were in class when the fire started.

Sophomore communication major Eric Gilbert was reached by a friend and returned to the building, while sophomore undecided major Jon Bennett had to be retrieved from class.

“I was sitting in class and a police officer came in,” Bennett said. “He escorted me back to Douglas, and they had to question me to try and find out the cause of the fire. Then they let me go.”

Other than Lanners, no one was injured, but there were some damages, officials said.

“My speakers and amp got burned on the side,” Bennett said. “Some books got charred and two garbage cans became one. Also there’s a lovely scorch mark on the wood cabinet. You know, memories.”

Russell said it was fortunate the fire stayed under control.

“In the grand scheme of things, it was a pretty minor fire,” he said. “But it could have spread very easily. The weather was nice, so everyone’s windows were open which allows plenty of oxygen into the rooms. It would have just been very easy for the fire to spread and cause damage. Fortunately, it started small and stayed small.”