You could smell the smoke all the way by Harshman.

Just after 10 last night, the Bowling Green Fire Department was called to Rodgers Hall for a fire that started in a closet. Both residents were absent from room 102, the source of the fire. Freshman Nate Denton, who lives in room 102, said he had been in Founders for about forty minutes when a friend called him to tell him his room was the cause of the alarm.

According to Lt. Schroeder of the Bowling Green Fire Department, the fire in the empty room was not intentional.

“No one was in the room and it seems to be accidental,” Schroeder said.

Firefighters carried a flaming object out of the building and hosed it down before they were able to identify it as clothing. Police Officer Richmond of the Bowling Green Police Department said that all the details surrounding the incident are still unclear.

“It looks to be just bags and shoes. We will have more information tomorrow,” Richmond said.

Denton said the authorities are supposed to contact him by noon today with information about what happened and for access back into his room.

Lt. Schroeder said there was little fire damage to the room.

“There was smoke damage on the first floor and minor fire damage to the closet door,” Schroeder said.

According to Denton, who was allowed to re-enter the building, they removed the most damaged part of the closet from the room.

“There were flame marks up the side of the cabinet,” Denton said. “But they cut out about a foot by foot section out,” Denton said.

Denton said the firefighters told him the fire was caused by “a warm lava lamp” that he had left on while visiting Founders.

Some of the students forced to evacuate the building were so used to having to leave for false fire alarms, they resisted evacuating. Sophomore Danielle Phelps said the alarm interrupted her TV show.

“[I thought] Dang man, my show [The Hills Season Finale] is about to come on,” Phelps said.

Freshman Paige Zellars said the alarm went off while she was trying to get school work done.

“I took like five minutes to leave,” Zellars said. “I was studying for an exam.”

According to Joe Gibson, sophomore, the other resident of room 102, Andy Neumann, freshman was also gone at the time of the fire.

“He’s sick so he never came back from Cleveland,” Gibson said.

Students were not allowed back in the building for over an hour, until the halls had been ventilated and the debris had been removed.

Editor’s Note: BG News reporters Olivia Day and Ella Fowler also contributed to this article.