A WSU student was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after he accidently lit his clothes on fire Tuesday evening.

Lt. Steve Hansen of the WSU Police Department said the 18-year-old WSU freshman, whose name was not released, suffered severe burns but the victim's injuries are not life threatening.

The fire started at about 5:30 p.m. in a dorm room in Streit-Perham residence hall, Hansen said. When the firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was already extinguished by another individual in the residence hall.

The fire appears to be accidental. However, Hansen said they are still investigating how it started.

A rumor about the victim lighting a bottle of alcohol on fire and flinging it around the room appears to be untrue, Hansen said.

“I didn’t see any evidence of that happening,” Hansen said.

The Pullman Fire Department and another rural fire department both responded to the fire, Hansen said. The reason was that additional manpower was needed in ventilating the building after the fire. The haze that filled the hallway after the fire was the dust from the fire extinguisher, not smoke.

No one else was hurt and the only other damage from the fire to the room was a charred mark on a dresser, Hansen said.