Story by: Viviana Valencia, Editor-In-Chief
Photo by: Viviana Valencia, Editor-In-Chief
A fire alarm malfunction in the Library and Learning Resource Center at Cypress College caused an evacuation at 4:05 p.m. Student tutors working on the first floor reported hearing the alarm and evacuating immediately.
“We heard the alarm and had to evacuate immediately…we don’t know why the alarms were set off,” Nicole Mungai and Jolie Nguyen said, who are both tutors and were present when the incident occurred.
No injuries were reported, and students and staff left the building as a precautionary measure.
According to the Cypress Fire Department, work was being conducted in the building, and the alarms were being tested at the time of the incident. “Work was being done, and alarms were being tested in the building.”
Once the building was cleared, Cypress Chronicle staff spoke with campus safety officials, who explained the situation. “The fire alarm was set off unannounced and appeared to be an error with the system… just like it happens in the Science, Engineering, Mathematics Building,” according to campus safety.
The incident has raised questions about the reliability of the college’s alarm system, especially following similar malfunctions in other buildings. “The alarms have been going off just like they have before in the SEM Building,” Dr. Treisa Cassens, Dean of the Distance Education Committee, said. Cypress College officials did not immediately respond for further comment.
The Library and Learning Resource Center resumed normal operations after the alarm malfunction was resolved.
