Kent State sophomore Melissa Knestaut hadn't planned to rise from bed until at least noon Monday.
So when fire alarms started blaring about 8:30 a.m., Knestaut groggily grabbed her keys and shoes and joined about 80 fellow Allyn Hall residents outside -- many equally anxious for more sleep.
But this time, it wasn't a drill or a prank. Racking up an estimated $750,000 in damage to the third and fourth floors, this fire was real. None of those students would find themselves back in the building until 4 p.m. -- when eight at a time were allowed brief trips inside to retrieve necessities for the coming days.
''I don't know what clothes I grabbed,'' said the 19-year-old dance major. ''Hopefully I'll be able to match tomorrow.''
Residents who moved in just a week or two earlier quickly evacuated the four-story Allyn Hall, next to the Eastway Center on Kent State University's main campus. A third-floor room, shared by two male students away for the weekend, had erupted in flames.
Investigators have ruled out foul play but it will take several days to find the cause of the fire, according to a university news release.
Allyn Hall houses about 245 students, but most were away for the long weekend, said Michael McDonald, the college's emergency management coordinator.
''We're working very hard to get things back in order,'' McDonald said from behind yellow tape surrounding the building. ''The key for us is that no one was hurt.''
Eleven local fire departments brought about 25 pieces of equipment to the scene as a precaution, he said.
Two university police officers were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Heavy smoke damage to the third floor will force those residents into other buildings for the semester, while all others should be back in their rooms by this afternoon, McDonald said.
''(My roommate) and I are going to find a nice park bench to call our home for the next couple days,'' joked Kristofer Knudsen, a junior theater major, as he carried a bag of clothes across campus. ''For right now, I'll do what I'll have to do.''
At least one student made the best of the situation. To make some quick cash, fashion merchandising sophomore and third-floor resident Kelli Ciola sold a videotape of the morning's action to local news stations.
Others were struggling with the harsh reality of the situation.
Next door in Beall Hall, former third-floor hall mates listed things they wished they'd carried out of their rooms that morning -- towels, clothes, shoes.
Freshman nursing major Jenna Wetzel of Medina had only a borrowed T-shirt over the tank top and boxers she wore to bed.
''I think everyone's just sort of walking around in a state of shock,'' she said. ''We have classes tomorrow, and nobody has any of their books.''
Distributed by the Associated Press
