Two fires blazed through three units in a three-story building at 815 S. State St. early yesterday morning, forcing 30 students to spend the next several days in temporary housing in the middle of the December finals crunch.

An ambulance transported one student with a burned hand to the University Hospital, according to the Ann Arbor Fire Department. The hospital released the student at around 4 p.m. yesterday. All other students safely escaped.

The Fire Department also said a firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation but will be back on duty today.

The first fire occurred at around 3 a.m., students who were inside said. Tenants were allowed back into their apartments an hour after they were evacuated.

But another fire erupted at around 7:40 a.m. and forced students to evacuate a second time.

AAFD Battalion Chief Greg Hollingsworth said the building caught fire the first time when candles on the second floor of the apartment were placed too close to combustible objects.

Hollingsworth speculated that the second fire started when smoldering debris - including a highly flammable mattress - that firefighters had thrown out the window after the first fire reignited the blaze.

"It was possibly left a little too close to the building," he said.

The fires caused extensive damage to the building's utilities and three apartments - the unit where the fire originated and the units directly above and below.

Sue Eklund, dean of students, said tenants who were living in the three apartments may not be able to return soon. The 12 other apartments also sustained superficial smoke damage.

"A timely call to the Fire Department and their prompt response was a blessing," said University alum Tony Nam, one of the owners of the building.

Nam said he hopes tenants in the relatively unscathed units will be able to move back in this week. Family-owned Nam Building Management must repair utilities and obtain approval from city inspectors before tenants can return. So far, electricity has been repaired, and pipes are being drained and treated with antifreeze to prevent them from bursting while the landlord works to restore heat and running water.

Despite the limited extent of the fire, the AAFD estimates the structural damage will cost $225,000 in a building valued at $1.6 million.

The damage to the contents of the apartments is estimated at $35,000. The financial blow comes just two weeks after the landlord installed new carpeting as part of $300,000 in improvements to the property.

Nam said while some affected students are covered by their parents' homeowners insurance, many are uninsured.

Eklund said a few students may need financial aid to cover the cost of damaged belongings and insurance fees.

The Washtenaw County Red Cross is providing housing for all displaced students in the Comfort Inn on Carpenter Road in Ann Arbor.

The Office of the Dean of Students also has three apartments ready for affected students in the Northwood family housing complex on North Campus.

The fire came at a bad time for students, many of whom are busy preparing for finals or completing end-of-the-semester assignments. The Office of the Dean of Students is informing academic units of affected students.

"It's up to the individual faculty member to find the best way to work with the student," Eklund said.

Eklund stressed that the emotional trauma of the fire and the displacement is more severe than the extent of the physical damage to students' apartments and belongings.

"Even if they can touch a book, are they ready to work?" she said. "It still may set people back by a day or two, even if the damage is superficial."

Engineering senior Matt Carneghy, who lives across the hall from where the blaze originated, was displaced by the fire.

He said that although his property sustained little damage, the fire is a major inconvenience - he has finals this week and must travel from the hotel southeast of Central Campus to his classes on North Campus.

Landlords allowed students to retrieve necessary belongings yesterday morning and will permit them to enter their apartments at certain times in the coming days. The units will be locked the rest of the day to prevent theft.

Steve Turlescki, general manager of Atlanta Bread Company, said he saw fire trucks pull up to the apartment building across the street while he was sweeping snow off the sidewalks in front of his business.

When the tenants were evacuated after the second fire, Atlanta Bread became the Red Cross's command center for distributing needed supplies and making arrangements for students' lodging. Turlescki offered free coffee and cookies to the displaced students, as well as coupons for free lunches.