Nearly 600 University of Northern Iowa students were forced to evacuate their residence hall Saturday after a fire ripped through the first floor of Dancer Hall.

The blaze, which began at about 2 p.m., was extinguished by the Cedar Falls Fire Department in about 15 minutes, said Cedar Falls Fire Chief Art Lupkes. They were no injuries reported.

All residents of the 13-story building, except those on the first floor, were allowed back inside Dancer by 5 p.m., said UNI Associate Director of Residence Lyn Redington.

The fire started when two female students living on the first floor left their room to go outside and have a cigarette, Lupkes said.

Upon returning about 10 minutes later, the residents found their room on fire. They attempted to put out the blaze but were unsuccessful. They then pulled the fire alarm and left the building, leaving the door to their room open, allowing the fire to spread down the hallways, Redington said.

The fire caused heavy smoke damage to the dorm’s first floor. By Saturday night, custodial and maintenance staff already were ripping up smoke-damaged carpets and scraping down soot-covered walls, Lupkes said.

“Most of the doors were closed, so damage to student rooms was limited, but the hallways had severe smoke damage,” he said.

Redington estimated damages to the floor to be at least $30,000 and possibly more.

Lupkes said the cause of the fire was not yet determined, although candles in the room may have been to blame.

“Officially, this case is still under investigation,” he said. “The candles probably did it, though.”

Lupkes said more interviews would be conducted with witnesses today.

Candles are not allowed in UNI dorm rooms, just as they are not allowed at Iowa State, Redington said.

Although she declined to comment on possible disciplinary action against the two students whose room burned, Redington said she felt the residents already might be going through enough.

“I know there will be some follow-up, but certainly the students involved feel very bad and probably are tougher on themselves than anyone else would be,” she said.

The residents of first-floor Dancer are being boarded in temporary housing as close to Dancer Hall as possible, and they will probably be able to move back in within a week, Redington said. The room where the fire started was completely gutted and will not house students for several months.

Despite the heavy damage sustained by Dancer Hall and the inconvenience of moving about 50 students into temporary housing, Redington said she is pleased with how everything worked out in the end.

“Even though there is extensive property damage, the important thing is that everyone is OK,” she said. “Things can be replaced, and people can’t. I guess in that sense, I’m glad things happened the way they did.”