Joao Fiche said he was woken up by a loud popping sound coming from outside his window while he was taking a nap Saturday afternoon.

“I figured it was someone working on the window because that’s what they were doing two weeks ago,” he said. “When I opened the window, I saw a little bit of fire on the first floor.”

The Perry Township Fire Department received a call about a fire at Boon in O’Daniel South on campus at 3:23 p.m Saturday.

The fire’s cause and the path it took are still under investigation, said Jerry Bulger, the volunteer fire department’s assistant chief.

Firefighters arrived at the scene as several students tried to contain the blaze with fire extinguishers. The students moved across the street as firefighters worked to put out the fire.

The firefighters focused on the bushes in front of the apartment and did not see the smoke coming out of the roof, Fiche said.

“We were like, ‘Hey! There’s some smoke on the roof. There’s some smoke there,'” he said. “And they did nothing by that time. And then when (the firefighters) started to see flames, all the water stuff went there.”

The fire destroyed the majority of 8030B and three other apartments in the building were affected by smoke and water damage.

Fifteen students were displaced and assigned rooms in Matthews in McDonald East.

“We have empty buildings with spare apartments just for something like this,” said Mark Rozewski, vice president for finance and administration. “So accommodations were made that same evening.”

The students were originally told their placements in Matthews was temporary, but learned Tuesday that their new rooms are permanent due to the extent of the damage.

“This building was slated for a major renovation anyway, so this accelerated the process,” Rozewski said.

Instead of waiting until next summer’s major renovation, rehabilitation of the apartments is scheduled to begin immediately – once the project is put up for bid – and is expected to be completed in the spring.

The total cost of the damage and repairs has not been calculated, but Rozewski estimates it’s in the hundreds of thousands.

Assistant Director of Public Safety Steve Bequette said the fire is believed to have started in the bushes outside 8030A on the first floor.

The investigation, which is a collaboration between the Office of Public Safety, the Physical Plant, Housing and Residence Life and the Perry Township Fire Department, is ongoing, Bequette said.

“We’re open to any information we can find,” he said. “If anyone has any information, feel free to contact the Office of Public Safety.”

Housing and Residence Life and the Physical Plant could not be reached for comment.