Residents of Canaday Hall were forced to evacuate the building early yesterday morning after smoke from a fire in a student room spread to another part of the dormitory.

The smoke originated in B entryway, where students were burning papers in a trash can. Shortly after 1 a.m. a resident noticed smoke seeping into a bathroom through the dormitory's ventilation system and called the fire department.

The Cambridge Fire Department sent seven fire trucks to the scene.

As residents waited in the drizzle for permission to re-enter the dormitory, Canaday proctor Mac Brodrick took advantage of the impromptu gathering to announce his engagement to Shawne Sherlock.

Fire officials on the scene last night said the fire was not under investigation, because the students involved had not intended to start a fire.

The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) may choose to ask for an arson investigation, but authorities yesterday were not able to say whether one had been initiated. HUPD spokesperson Peggy A. McNamara was not available for comment yesterday.