Eight fire engines responded to a fire at the 1237 West Fullerton apartments shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. The fire occurred in the garbage chute between the sixth and fifth floors of the building.

The Chicago Fire Department has not confirmed the cause of the fire, although many residents speculated that it was started when a lit cigarette was thrown into the chute.

Lauren Kurash, a senior who was visiting a friend in 1237 said that they left the room and instantly saw “tons” of smoke in the hallway.

“It smelled really bad and we knew that something wasn’t right,” Kurash said.

After deciding to take the stairs down from the sixth floor, Kurash told the desk officer about the smoke, the appropriate calls were made, and the building was evacuated. These exact steps are listed in the 1237 West Emergency Procedures Manual.

When the Fire Department arrived on the scene, Chief Charlie Bliss said that there was “smoke everywhere… smoke bellowing out the windows.”

Four female students were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation, but no students were transported to the hospital, according to Bliss. Bliss also mentioned that they were “lucky” enough to save the four female students.

Even though it is not a DePaul building, DPU Public Safety went to check on the scene. “We sent a couple of our officers over there to make sure everything was fine after we noticed the fire trucks that appeared on our camera system,” said Assistant Director of Public Safety for Lincoln Park, Michael Dohm.

According to the 1237 West Emergency Procedures Manual, the building is equiped with an automatic sprinkler system, an audible and visual emergency notification system, and fire extinguishers.

More information will become available as the investigation into the cause of the fire continues.