"It was not that big a fire, it was just in an awkward spot," Boyle said.

Firefighters who entered the room said that the fire was burning in the closet when they arrived and that the fire did not spread beyond the room. But smoke did spread throughout the floor and into the next.

"My roommate woke me up and there was smoke covering the entire ceiling of the hallway, probably to head level," said Katherine M. O'Connor '99, who lives in Gilbert 405 and was able to exit by the stairs.

"When they finally got the windows up you could see huge clouds of smoke coming out of the room," O'Connor said.

Although the fire was put out almost immediately, it took over an hour for firefighters using electric fans to dissipate the smoke.

The firefighters then took papers, C.D.s and books that had been on fire and threw them into the courtyard.

Shortly before other students were allowed in, Currier House Master William A. Graham Jr. escorted Kirk back to her room.

As students were walking back into the house, Kirk could be heard screaming out the window.

Currier House residents then helped clean up the courtyard, gathering up the documents the firefighters had thrown in the courtyard.

While Kirk's room remained closed, other students were allowed back into their rooms.

According to Graham, who is also professor of the history of religion and Islamic studies, arrangements have been made for Kirk to stay elsewhere in the house. Graham said he had no further comment at this time