Columbia firefighters responded to a fire Saturday after a homeowner left food cooking alone, a Columbia Fire Department news release stated.

The fire occurred in an apartment at 901 Ashland Road, and caused $15,000 in damage. The apartment is the home of MoBrights president and MU senior, Will Morris, who is listed in the release as the only occupant of the apartment.

MoBrights is a campus group funded in part by student fees that, according to its Web site, holds a naturalistic worldview, promotes civic understanding. The group meets in the Walter Johnson Auditorium in Middlebush Hall.

The release states that firefighters could see the smoke caused by the fire from Columbia Fire Station 3, located a block from the residence.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, which damaged kitchen cabinets and the stove, in about five minutes after arriving on the scene, Fire Department spokesman Gary Warren, Jr. said.

While in the home, one of the crews rescued an iguana, two exotic birds and another reptile, which was partially buried in the sand of its cage, Warren said.

Warren said Morris smelled something burning, called 911 and then evacuated the residence.

Neither Morris nor his pets sustained injuries in the fire.