The remains of Jeremy Webb's room are warped and blackened from fire damage. On his bookshelf, a 20 oz. water bottle lies shrunken to a third of its original size from intense heat.

He doesn't like to think what would have happened to him and his five roommates had they not escaped after someone set fire to their home early Friday morning.

"A couple more minutes and we could have been seriously burned," he said. "There could have been six bodies in there."

The fire at the rental house at 5206 11th Ave. N.E. was the most serious of four arsons that took place in the U-District on Friday. The Seattle Fire Department estimated the fire caused $250,000 in damage to the house's structure and $100,000 in damage to its contents.

The only thing for the roommates to do now is move on, Webb said. To help, two of his friends have organized a benefit for them that will take place tomorrow night at Dante's, located at 5300 Roosevelt Way N.E.

"I've been really good friends with all the guys for a long time, since high school," said Erik Henne, one of the benefit's organizers. "When my friend called me and said I wouldn't be getting my book back he borrowed from me ... I was pretty shocked."

Webb and his brother Joshua, both UW alumni, lived on the main floor of the house where most of the damage occurred. They weren't able to salvage many of their belongings, Joshua Webb said.

"I'd say I lost about 99 percent of my stuff," he said.

The housemates spent Friday sorting out what could be saved and what was toast.

Since then, they've been the victims of repeated lootings as people broke into their garage and kicked in the back door of the house, Jeremy Webb said.

"Don't even get me started on people who do that," said police spokeswoman Debra Brown. "The fire department usually does their best to try and secure places after they've been in a fire like that, but it can be really difficult."

The support the roommates have received from friends has been far greater than what they've lost to thieves, Jeremy Webb said.

"We've gotten an incredible amount of help from acquaintances, friends and random strangers," he said. "While some people are looting, other people are doing good things. Most people are good. That other stuff...you just kind of have to ignore."

The roommates filled out a rental application for another six-bedroom house in the area yesterday, and things look promising, he said. They hope to move in to a new place at the beginning of next month. For now, each is living with friends or family in the area.

"You cry, you get sad, it doesn't really do much," he said. "You just rebuild slowly, I guess. Live more minimally."

The six housemates have stayed optimistic throughout the ordeal, he said, trying to see humor in the situation. When they move into their next place, they're thinking about investing in renter's insurance.

"You never know when some asshole's going to set your house on fire," he said.