Students, staff and faculty studying and working in the Fondrenand DeGolyer libraries were evacuated Friday afternoon when thesmell and sight of smoke caused someone to activate the firealarms.

“Someone on the first floor must’ve seen the hazeand pulled the pull station by the elevators,” said JamesOravsky of SMU Risk Management and the fire inspector for SMU.

At approximately 2:45 p.m. the alarms went off, alertingstudents and faculty to evacuate the buildings.

Three University Park fire trucks and a University Parkambulance responded to the scene, as well as several SMU policeofficers.

“It was a little scary,” said Kathy Rome, a staffmember in DeGolyer Library.

Francisco Garcia, another DeGolyer staff member, agreed.

“It was weird,” Garcia said. “The alarmsstarted going off, and we just walked out. They [the UniversityPark Fire Department] got here quick. We were walking down thesteps, and we heard the sirens.”

Monte Gibson, section chief for the University Park FireDepartment, said initially they thought a belt in one of the airhandlers got caught.

But Oravsky said an hour after the initial evacuation that airhandlers could not have been the problem.

“If a belt in one of the air handlers got caught, themachines are designed to automatically switch off,” hesaid.

Instead, Oravsky guessed the problem was in a light ballast, theelectrical components located at the end of fluorescent lightfixtures.

“We’re checking all of the basement, which is wherethe source of the smell is. The main location of the smell, whereit’s strongest, there’s a light ballast. It probablyshort-circuited,” Oravsky said.