Fire alarm causes Hodges to evacuate

Students, staff, faculty and orientation guests evacuated Hodges Library shortly before noon on Tuesday due to a fire alarm being set off.

Roughly thirty people waited outside near Melrose Avenue for officials to clear the building for reentry. Patty Boling, an administrative assistant to the dean, said the last fire drill they practiced was in February and that “nobody knew about this one.”

Almost five minutes after the evacuation, the building was cleared. Knoxville Police officer R. Wade speculates that maintenance likely set off the alarm.

“This was a very quick one,” Wade said.

Hodges has undergone much reconstructive work within the past year, including the recent closure of its Starbucks. It will continue to see work being done throughout the duration of the summer terms.

Edited by Maggie Jones