Officials said last week's arson in Sproul Hall showed why students should leave buildings when fire alarms ring, even in the case of drills.

Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said there is a reason fire drills are conducted, and that it is the law to evacuate when a fire alarm sounds.

"During a fire alarm, it is the individual's responsibility to evacuate the building, regardless of whether they think it is an actual fire or not," Kendig said.

Penn State University Police Supervisor Clifford Lutz said although he was there to assist people in evacuating the building, there were many people who left on their own.

"There were a few that waited to see if it was a real fire," he said. However, he did not know the exact number of students who were.

"Our primary concern is making sure everyone gets out of the building safely," Lutz said. "In these situations we focus on the people involved, not the property damage."

The fire occurred early Saturday morning in the 10th-floor bathroom of Sproul Hall when a roll of toilet paper was ignited in one of the bathroom stalls.

Sproul Hall resident Grant Bacharach (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said that everyone evacuated the building when the fire alarm started going off.

"The resident advisors make sure that everyone gets out," Bacharach said. "They went around to all the rooms to check if people were there."

Bacharach lives on the floor where the fire occurred and knew that this time it wasn't a false alarm.

Bacharach said he inhaled smoke before being the last resident to exit the hall. He had slept through the fire alarm and was evacuated by police. He said police treated him for smoke inhalation at their station.

In most fires, people are injured by smoke, not the actual flames, and most victims of fires usually die of smoke inhalation rather than the fire itself, Lutz said.

Another 10th-floor resident, Vinny Rome (freshman-liberal arts), said he was asleep in his dorm when he heard the fire alarm.

"When I stuck my head out, there was a lot of smoke in the hallway," Rome told The Daily Collegian after the incident.

University police said the number of false alarms on campus have been very low this year.

When an alarm on campus does go off for any reason, university police are the first to respond.

"Police have the first level of fire fighter training," Lutz said. "If the officer does not feel that he can handle the situation, then they will call for the volunteer department.

Lutz said that they do not like to use the fire company unless it is a true emergency because it is a volunteer organization.

No one from the State College Police Department was available for comment.