Firefighters from the Houghton Fire Department work to extinguish a fire at the Daniell Heights complex Friday morning. The building was ruled a total loss. While there were no injuries, the University is seeking shelter for residents displaced by the fire. (Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — A building at Michigan Technological University’s Daniell Heights apartment complex is a total loss after a Friday morning fire that displaced up to 20 students.

There were no injuries in the fire at 2109 Woodmar Dr., which began between 10 and 10:30 a.m., said Brian Cadwell, chief of MTU Public Safety and Police Services.

“We immediately evacuated the building and the two adjacent buildings,” he said. “Everyone got out safely.”

What started the fire was unknown as of Friday afternoon, though there was a preliminary observation that “something seemed to start near a stove in one of the units,” making that the most likely cause, Cadwell said.

Between 15 to 20 students lived in the building. Tech’s Emergency Operations Center met after the fire was discovered, and was preparing Friday afternoon to find housing, clothing and food for the affected students and their families, Cadwell said. The students were sent to a community center down the block to await further instructions.

MTU Public Safety asked members of the public to avoid the building and the neighboring units.

The fire did not spread to the apartment buildings on either side. After the scene was cleared, they were to be evaluated for smoke or water damage, after

which those residents would be allowed to return if conditions allowed, Cadwell said.

The Houghton, Hancock and Hurontown fire departments helped put out the fire.