The East Campus Union was evacuated at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday after the smell of smoke caused by a burnt-out heater filled the building, Duke University Police Department officials told The Chronicle.
Although the manual fire panel was pulled to alert others in the building, the alarm malfunctioned and did not set off an audible alarm, said DUPD Maj. Michael Snellgrove, division commander for administration.
The alarm also failed to signal the police, who arrived 20 minutes after the incident, he said, noting that the malfunctioning manual alarm has been replaced and all the other alarms have been tested.
Maintenance staff led the evacuation when they noticed the odor, Snellgrove said.
Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said she was unaware of the incident. Campus Fire and Safety Divisions officials said they had no additional details about the defective alarm.
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