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An early morning fire tore through a campus area apartment complex Saturday causing an estimated $206,000 in damages and displacing 30 University of Wisconsin students.

The initial 911 call notified Madison Fire Department officials at 4:53 a.m. of the 505 N. Carroll St. blaze, and after the first trucks arrived, an MFD lieutenant called for a second alarm since the fire involved a high rise building with high resident occupancy, according to an MFD release.

MFD officials said flames were visibly shooting from the building several blocks away, and many occupants and passersby also notified 911 of the fire.

The fire was on the sixth floor and caused significant damage from the flames as well as the smoke, which also caused damage on the seventh floor. The first through sixth floors also suffered some water damage.

Occupants of the complex reportedly activated the fire alarm in the building — which lacks a sprinkler system — and many helped others by yelling and pounding on doors, evacuating the building without injury.

Each floor of the building has its own apartment with either four or five bedrooms.

The MFD and their 13 vehicles eventually controlled the fire by 5:15 a.m.

The seven-story structure, operated by CHT Apartment Rentals, will remain closed to all renters until at least Monday, when the fire alarm system is back in working order and some fire doors are repaired and other maintenance work is completed.

Maintenance officials from CHT did not return phone calls seeking comment as of press time Sunday.

Students living on floors undamaged by the fire were allowed briefly to return to their rooms before finding somewhere to stay.

Madison Metro was called by fire officials to keep students warm on a bus during early hours of the 23-degree morning.

The Madison Red Cross also was on the scene and assisted with shoes, comfort kits, food and other necessities, according to the MFD.

Since most of the occupants in the apartment complex were UW students, Dean of Students Lori Berquam and Associate Dean of Students Argyle Wade also arrived on the scene between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

"We want to demonstrate that we care about them, in some other cases it's a house of three, four, five people, but this had over 30 residents who were displaced over a short amount of time," Berquam said. "This was a little larger of a building, so we wanted to let students know if they need something to let us know."

Wade and Berquam wrote "crisis loans" to UW students for books and other supplies so they could continue focusing on academics after the fire.

"Obviously this will interrupt their lives no matter what we do, but we'd like to have it as small of an interruption as possible," Berquam said. "Many lost their personal effects, clothes and that sort of thing, and just the idea of being woken up in the early morning hours and having it filled with smoke is traumatic."

Occupants on the sixth floor will need to seek permanent living arrangements, but according to Berquam, CHT has no other open apartments so students will be able to work with the UW visitors program with listings of open housing.

With many students in the midst of exams, Berquam said she is confident most professors will be understanding and supportive of the students.

Berquam added if anyone from the apartment building was unable to see Berquam on the scene, they can stop at the Offices of the Dean of Students at 75 Bascom to receive services.

MFD officials are still investigating what caused the fire.