A simple experiment in chocolate chip cookie baking got a little out of hand last night, as a small fire in a student kitchen forced a building-wide evacuation of New Quincy House.

House residents remained huddled in near-freezing temperatures for nearly 15 minutes, until a team of firefighters arrived to extinguish their concerns.

Damage from the incident was apparently limited. When inspected yesterday after the fire, a batch of approximately 25 chocolate chip cookies appeared unburnt.

"We didn't burn them," a red-faced student baker explained. "The oven was just dirty."

The student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that she and a cohort had been making the dessert items in question for some friends. As they attempted to cook their Pillsbury dough, however, the room unexpectedly filled with smoke.

Although the students immediately opened a window, the remaining smoke was sufficient to set off a building-wide alarm system.

"The alarm is very sensitive," said Bernard Mandara, a member of the Quincy House superintendant's staff.

Mandara said the oven had not been damaged by the incident.