ALLENDALE, Mich., April 1 (UPI) -- A Michigan college student's April Fools' prank gone wrong was blamed for an apartment fire that led to a building being evacuated, firefighters said.

The Allendale Fire Department said crews from Allendale, Blendon Township, and Georgetown Township responded Wednesday morning to battle the blaze in an apartment near the campus of Grand Valley State University.


Investigators said the fire apparently started when one of the four female college students living in the apartment tossed a fire cracker at a roommate as part of an April Fools' Day prank and the firework landed in hamper, igniting the laundry inside.

Neighbors said the girls knocked on the doors of other units in the search for a fire extinguisher, but the fire had grown too large by the time they were able to bring one back to the apartment.

Capt. David Pelton of the Allendale Fire Department said the fire was the first he knew of to be started by an April Fools' prank.

The extent of the damage to the building was unknown Wednesday, but residents were allowed to return to two of the building's six units. Firefighters said other residents were expected to be able to return later Wednesday, but the apartment where the fire started was unlikely to be considered safe.

Firefighters said the girl whose prank ignited the flames probably won't face charges from the incident.