A fire that broke out in Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall Friday has sparked concern over the amount of time it took for residents to evacuate the building.

"People were still leaving the building as long 20 minutes after the alarm went off," said Colleen Morgan, health and safety specialist with the Department of Risk Management and Safety.

The evacuation of the hall took "an extra 10 minutes," said Tucson Fire Department Public Information Officer Randy Ogden.

"We found a couple of kids in the building who had chosen to ignore the alarm," Ogden said.

Morgan said she had run a fire drill in the hall during the second week of classes and it had taken four minutes to evacuate. She said TFD, the University of Arizona Police Department and the hall director was concerned over the length of time it took to evacuate the hall Friday.

UAPD and TFD responded about 8 a.m. to a fire alarm in the hall, 910 E. Fifth St., said UAPD Deputy Chief Harry Hueston.

"Everybody and his brother was there instantaneously," Hueston said.

UAPD located the fire on the eighth floor, then assisted with the evacuation of the hall and blocked traffic around it, Hueston said.

Firefighters found heavy smoke on the eighth floor and in Room 808, where the fire originated, Odgen said.

The fire was started by a candle left burning on a plastic dish, Ogden said. Hueston said the room's residents extinguished the fire themselves.

"My roommate and I woke up and there was a fire in the room," said Justin Sargent, civil engineering freshman and resident of the room. "I used my comforter to beat it out," Sargent said.

Sargent said his roommate and he plan to scrub the walls and carpets. He said the smell was horrible.

"Our room really stunk, so we lit a candle. It actually ended up smelling worse," he said.

Jim Van Arsdel, director of the Department of Residence Life, said a wardrobe and a mirror in the room were damaged, but the cost of the damage was not known. He said the damage was limited to the room.

TFD made sure the fire was out before resetting the alarm and letting residents back into the hall, Hueston said.

The incident was under control by 8:25 a.m., Ogden said, and students reentered the hall at 8:50 a.m.

The residents of the room face no criminal charges, Hueston said.

Van Arsdel said he could not comment on this incident, but said generally, students who violate residence hall rules are liable for the cost of the problem. Residence Life policies state that students are not permitted to burn candles in the halls.

"They (rule violators) need to expect to pay for the damage," Van Arsdel said.

Van Arsdel also acknowledged concerns about the delay in evacuating the building.

"What I've heard is that the evacuation was slower than we would like, but I don't have any details," Van Arsdel said.

Morgan said, "We attribute that to people slow getting ready to go, people asleep and people not taking the alarm seriously." She said TFD already asked the university to take steps to address the problem.

Morgan said her office and the Department of Residence Life will be looking into an awareness program for the halls.

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