Members of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas were forced to evacuate a Burbank recording studio Wednesday after a fire broke out and destroyed many of the group’s instruments.

The fire erupted around 3 A.M. As the group recorded tracks for their upcoming album, Monkey Business, at Glenwood Place Studios.

Unattended candles are being blamed as the culprit. No one was injured in the blaze.

Burbank Fire Captain Ron Bell says the fire destroyed about $500,000 dollars in gear and instruments. The band says it is devastated by the loss.

'Guitars, drums, drum kits, keyboards, microphones, classic instruments that we've collected with our worldly travels are now destroyed,' band member will.i.am told KABC-TV.

According to fire officials, band members lit candles during their recording session to create ambiance and forgot to blow them out when they went into an adjacent room for a meal break. A Glenwood assistant engineer who returned to the facility's Studio A and saw it filled with flames and smoke emptied a fire extinguisher onto the fire. An engineer working for the Peas helped the Glenwood employee fight the blaze with a second extinguisher.

When the band's manager said the studio was burning the group thought it was joke until they saw smoke and fire. Once they learned the studio was actually ablaze, the band heroically attempted to dampen the flames.

'They evacuated the building (and) even tried using fire extinguishers prior to our arrival, but it was too late for fire extinguishers,' said Bell. 'But they did a good job.'

The band managed to escape with a tape they had just recorded and a couple of charred guitars.

In addition to the Los Angeles-based group's loss, the Glenwood facility also incurred damages upwards of $50,000.

'(The blaze) ignited a sound-absorbing microphone shield set up for recording vocals,' said Glenwood Executive Vice President Hank Neuberger. 'Only about 20 percent of the facility has been affected.'

Smoke remained in the building for several hours, yet Glenwood remained open for the rest of the day, with other recording sessions continuing uninterrupted. Burbank fire crews say the layers of insulation used to soundproof studio continued to burn inside the walls and ceiling. While Studio A's live recording studio was heavily damaged, its control room was unscathed.

'The Control Room of Studio A should be ready for the Peas by later this evening, or tomorrow at the latest,' Neuberger said. 'None of the band's music, hard drives or media was damaged, as it was safe in the control room.'

Aside from their top selling 2003 LP, Where IS The Love?, the Black Eyed Peas have gained mainstream attention with their tune 'Let's Get It Started' which kicked off each game of the NBA finals on ABC. The Peas also performed recently at the Democratic National Convention. Despite their recent exploits, the group is preparing for a live performance on TV's Good Morning America scheduled in New York City on Friday morning.