A small fire in a suite in the Little Building on Jan. 20 tested Emerson’s new fire alarm system.

The fire occurred when a burning candle fell onto a student’s mattress, according to an email sent to on-campus students by Amanda Turnley, senior associate director of housing and residence life.

The student was able to extinguish the fire before it caused any major damage, wrote Turnley. There were minor burns to the student’s hands and to some college property.

When the fire activated the smoke detectors, campus police officers were notified by the fire alarm system, according to the email. Since the fire was put out quickly, no other alarms in the building were activated.

“It was kind of scary knowing something was actually on fire,” said Sara Rygiel, a freshman visual media arts major who lives on the floor of the incident.

Rygiel was in the hallway when the event happened, and said she saw the students from the suite running to get a resident assistant.

Turnley’s email reminded students of the college’s fire safety policies, which include a statement that students may not have candles in their rooms