Students in Griffin Hall had their day interrupted unexpectedly by the fire alarm going off at 10:39 a.m. Tuesday along with a robotic voice telling people to evacuate. Students crowded the hallways, rushing to the nearest exit outside, where rain was pouring down.

As people made it outside, they were soon soaked, many crowding under each other’s umbrellas to stay as dry as possible. One thing was on their minds: ‘Why is the fire alarm going off?’

“It’s probably the worst day it could have happened,” student Elijah Redmond commented.

Assistant Dean of the College of Informatics Stephanie Klatze and Dean Kevin Kirby had no idea why the fire alarm went off. Kirby said he had no official report other than an unconfirmed word that something had created smoke on the fourth floor in the kitchen area.

The Central Campbell County Fire Department denied this information, saying that there was “obviously no active fire or smoke that was showing.” 

The scene was investigated, but the source of the alarm going off was not found. Sometimes, fire alarms go off or malfunction due to dust, which may have been the case.