Fire breaks out inside UCLA dentistry school building

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A fire broke out at a building on the University of California, Los Angeles campus in Westwood early Tuesday morning.

The blaze ignited around 1:30 a.m. inside a third-floor dental lab storage room in building 48A, which is part of the UCLA School of Dentistry on the 700 block of Tiverton Avenue.

It took more than 100 firefighters around an hour to knock down the flames. According to Los Angeles Fire Department officials, that storage room did not contain any fire sprinklers.

The seven-story structure sustained damage from the blaze. Some windows were shattered, and multiple rooms sustained smoke and water damage.

The cleanup from the fire may affect class schedules, according to a tweet from the school.

Fourth-year dental student David Lindsey said when he first found out what happened, he couldn't believe it.

Lindsey, along with other students, came by the building but most were turned away.

"I just hope everything is fine. I have to go inside and see it," said Anna Chamberlain, a graduate student.

Hours after the flames were out, cleaning crews poured out of the building as staff and faculty stood outside. Those who attend and work at the dental school are not the only ones impacted - actual patients come here, too.

"I feel more bad for the patients that actually came and drove all the way. The parking is difficult, you know, they came all the way here to get dental work done, maybe took a day off and now they're not able to," said Karen Mei, a dental resident.

Lindsey said he's just glad the building was saved, but he and many others also have graduation on their minds.

"We're just on hold right now to see how long the cleanup is, and when we'll be able to see patients again," Lindsey said.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.