Smoke found in College of Education building causes 3-hour long evacuation
A small fire, mostly of smoke, was found in an air conditioning unit on the second floor of the north side of the College of Education building on Wednesday afternoon.
A report of smoke in the College of Education building was called into University Police (UP) at approximately 12:27 p.m. and the building was evacuated and searched by Tampa Fire Rescue.
A barring in one of the air handlers was the cause of the smoke, UP spokeswoman Lt. Charlotte Domingo said.
Faculty and students waited outside the building as a ventilation truck was brought to the scene by Tampa Fire Rescue to clear the smoke from the building.
“(The ventilation truck) makes it more comfortable for people to re-enter the building,” Domingo said.
The south side of the building was reopened at 2:57 p.m, and the north side reopened at 3:33 p.m. No injuries were reported.
“It was more irritating than anything else,” UP Cpl. Edward Lutz said. “Nothing dangerous. Just some missed classes.”
—Reporting by Elizabeth Engasser
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