A fire scorched part of the first floor of Eliot House's F-entry early yesterday morning, forcing inebriated partygoers and sleepy house residents to evacuate the building.

A fire alarm was triggered at 2:40 a.m., after flames engulfed a plastic trash can which was being used by residents to prop open a door in the hallway which leads to Eliot rooms F-11 and F-12.

The fire also singed the door and part of the wall next to it, leaving the surfaces a brown and black-colored mess, according to F-entry first- floor resident Alexander E. Berzofsky '96.

Berzofsky and his roommate, Christopher J. Matarese '96, said they were asleep when the fire started.

"Me and Chris were asleep," Berzofsky said. "The door and the doorway looks like it was barbecued."

Berzofsky said that another roommate, Thomas I. Parks '96, and Parks' younger brother, who was visiting for the weekend, used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. Their action may have prevented further damage.

"I don't know if they need a whole new door," Berzofsky said. "They might be able to salvage it."

The fire took much of the house by surprise. It melted most of the garbage can and its contents, leaving just the can's carcass and about 20 fire-scorched cans of Bud Light.

"The guys [downstairs] seemed pretty surprised about it, too," said Taryn L. Hearn '95, who lives on the entry's fifth floor.

Residents said they were not sure how the fire had started. Several speculated that either a resident or someone visiting the entry may have thrown a cigarette into the can, thus igniting it.

"We don't know exactly how it happened," Berzofsky said. "The only thing we can think of is someone dropped something in there."

Eliot House Co-Master Kristine L. Forsgard was on the scene Sunday morning. She was heard by students complimenting residents on their "presence of mind" in quickly extinguishing the fire.

At least one fire truck responded to the alarm. Cambridge fire officials declined to comment yesterday, referring calls to the fire chief's office.

Some residents of Eliot, which has been awakened by several false alarms recently, said they initially didn't think the fire was for real.

Said Margaret Isa '96, who is an editor of The Crimson: "I thought it was another fake fire alarm."