A portable classroom at the Islamic Society of Tampa caught fire on Monday afternoon, causing severe damage.

The building, located at 7326 E Sligh Ave, was occupied by pre-school age children and their teachers at the time of the fire (total of 15 people).

"They heard some crackling above them, they heard a fire alarm go off," said Ronnie Rivera with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

The children were able to exit the building safely and unharmed after hearing the fire alarm and seeing smoke coming from above the ceiling.

"Everybody was safe. All the classrooms were evacuated on time. All the kids were out. We had to make sure nobody was injured and that was the most important thing to all of us," said Mahmoud Elkasaby with the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay.

The building contains four classrooms and suffered heavy damage.

Fire officials said no injuries were reported.

The fire remains under investigation, although the fire investigator said it appeared to be accidental.