According to reports from the officials of the Berkeley Fire Department and the University of California (UC) at Berkeley, a three-alarm fire in an eight-story residential dormitory of the UC Berkeley campus on Saturday morning resulted in minor injuries to two students.

In addition, the nearly 200 students residing in the dorm were evacuated to Griffiths Hall, another dormitory on the University campus.

As per the information forwarded by Jeff Urdahl, UC-Berkeley director for housing operations, the two students suffered minor smoke inhalation and were taken to Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center with minor smoke inhalation. They have been treated and released.

Urdahl also revealed that the students of the dorm were allowed back into the building by around 3 p.m.

Giving the details of the fire incident, Assistant Fire Chief Rod Foster said that the fire reportedly began in a garbage shaft in the basement of Ehrman Hall, situated at 2650 Haste St. The fire call initially occurred at 4:55 a.m.; and soon the smoke from the fire traveled up the chute, filling the building with smoke.

Saying that the fire incident was not a “spontaneous combustion,” Urdahl said: “Someone probably threw something down the chute they weren't supposed to.”

Foster reported that the fire was declared extinguished by nearly 5:30 a.m.; though firefighters and investigators were still at the scene till 6:30 a.m.