GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- More than 300 students were evacuated from their rooms Sunday when a fast-moving fire tore through one of the oldest residence halls at DePauw University.

School officials said 116 students escaped from historic Rector Hall after fire broke out about 7:45 a.m. Students in two adjacent buildings also were evacuated as a precaution. None of the 330 students were harmed, authorities said.

"The first thing they did was make sure all the students got out, and all the students did get out," said Russell Evans, deputy director of Putnam County Emergency Management.

Three Cloverdale Fire Department firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the flames, authorities said. One of the injured firefighters was admitted to Putnam County Hospital for overnight observation.

The Indiana State Fire Marshal was investigating the blaze. It was unclear what sparked the fire.

The fire apparently began on the fourth floor, whose ceilings collapsed. The blaze also burned through the building's roof, sending flames and thick, black smoke rising above the DePauw quad.

Damage estimates were not immediately available.

University President Robert G. Bottoms said a young woman discovered the fire before it had spread throughout the building and prevented it from growing larger.

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DePauw President: You're Heart Sinks Student Glad Everyone's Safe

Firefighters from about 12 departments helped battle the blaze.

In the meantime, university officials began searching for rooms where displaced students can live until Rector Hall is repaired or rebuilt. Residents of the two halls adjacent to Rector were expected to be allowed to re-enter their rooms Sunday night.

Some students -- especially residents of Rector Hall's fourth floor -- were dealing with the realization that they lost possessions.

"It's just beginning to sink in (for students) that you've lost all your clothes, you lost your computer, you lost your books," Bottoms said.

Sophomore Shea Uebehor said he made it out of Rector Hall with just the clothes on his back. He said a conversation with his father Sunday reminded him that he was fortunate to be safe.

"He put it in a pretty good perspective for me," Uebehor said. "He said, 'It's all just material things. Everybody's safe, you're safe, and it can all be replaced.' "

Students and staff began collecting and distributing clothing and other supplies for people displaced by the fire. The Red Cross also is offering aid, including temporary-housing coordination.

The university's Web site has information for students and parents relating to the fire, temporary housing and supplies.

DePauw students' parents and immediate family members with questions or concerns also can call the school's security office at (765) 658-4261, or the student affairs office, (765) 658-4270, a student affairs employee said.