Smoke and flames pour out of a third story Allyn Hall room around 9 a.m. yesterday. Eighty students were evacuated safely. The residents of the fire damaged room were not home.

Credit: Jason Hall

For video footage courtesy of TV-2, click here.

A fire damaged several rooms and forced 80 residents to evacuate Allyn Hall early yesterday morning.

The fire started in room 316 and caused severe damage to both the third and fourth floors, said John Tosko, a captain with the Kent Fire Department.

University spokesman Scott Rainone placed early damage estimates at $750,000.

No student injuries were reported, Rainone said, but two of the responding Kent State police officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

The students residing in room 316 were gone for the weekend, university firefighter Ed Moisio said.

Moisio said the source of the fire is unknown. According to a university press release, city fire authorities have ruled out foul play.

Eleven fire departments, including Kent, Ravenna, Stow, Rootstown, Brimfield, Hudson and Aurora, responded to the scene, Rainone said.

“The city of Kent Fire Department thinks they will have a cause by (tomorrow) or Thursday,” Rainone said.

All Allyn Hall residents were asked to report to the Twin Towers area desk for roll call and to receive temporary room assignments.

“In the near future, they will be displaced,” Rainone said. “There is pretty extensive damage. Residence services is working on that now.”

He added that Allyn residents will be placed, “all over campus, wherever there are open spots.”

Noel Polivka, sophomore nursing major and fourth floor Allyn Hall resident, said she would be upset if she had to move to another residence hall.

“(My friends and I) picked Allyn to live together,” she said. “We don’t want to be split up from our friends. It’s who we rely on when family is gone.”

Residents living on the first, second and fourth floors were allowed to enter the hall to gather belongings after 4 p.m. yesterday. Third floor residents were not allowed to enter the building.

Sophomore nursing major Jenna Petitti woke up to the fire alarm, which sounded shortly before 9 a.m.

“I really didn’t want to get out of bed, but I’m glad I did,” she said, gesturing toward the fire trucks near Allyn Hall.

Zach Doubek, freshman flight technology major, was another resident evacuated during the fire.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Doubek said. “I’ve seen smoke but never anything like that.”

Contact room and board reporter Stephanie Park at [email protected].