A fire in Ell Hall early Sunday morning caused about $500,000 in damage, mainly to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. It was reported to the Boston Fire Department around 7 a.m. Sunday and was put out within 40 minutes, never escalating beyond one alarm, according to the fire department. No one was injured, and no one was in the building at the time, said Northeastern spokeswoman Laura Shea.

The fire itself was confined to the OSCCR office, with smoke and water damage throughout the rest of the second and third floors. Although some paper OSCCR files were destroyed, Shea said all files are backed up electronically, so no data was lost. OSCCR is being housed temporarily in the Office of Student Affairs until its office is repaired.

The offices of the Spiritual Life Center and the International Student and Scholar Institute (ISSI) were also damaged, though not as severely. There was no damage to the Sacred Space, much to the relief of Shelli Jankowski-Smith, director of spiritual life.

“We’re very happy that the Sacred Space is OK,” Jankowski-Smith said.

She said the only damage was to the outside of the doors of the Sacred Space, which she described as “charred and peeling.” Because of the damage to the hallway, the center is rebooking their events for the next few weeks, Jankowski-Smith said.

The ISSI office is not severely burned, but smells of burned sheetrock and is packed to allow for repairs. Boxes are stacked throughout the office, and walls show a combination of water and fire damage. Phone lines and e-mail were down Monday, although most were restored by yesterday. –>