Classes were canceled and students were gathered around the David F. Putnam Science Center on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 12 while members of the Keene Fire Department entered the building.
An air conditioner in the Science Center overheated, according to an email sent to The Equinox from Paul Miller, Keene State director of communications.
According to Canvas messages sent from professors to students who had classes in the building, the Science Center re-opened at 11 a.m.
Professor Thomas O’Brien said while waiting outside the Science Center he was not sure what happened at the time of the interview, but he heard the fire alarm go off.
“They said to leave the building, there’s been an emergency,” O’Brien said.
He noted the fire alarm went off between 9:45 and 9:50 a.m.
Officials responded to an Automatic Fire Alarm/Box Alarm dispatch on Appian Way at 9:45 a.m., according to Southwestern N.H. District Fire Mutual Aid Dispatch Center logs.
First-year Elizabeth LaBianca was among the crowd of students outside the Science Center. At the time the fire alarms were triggered, she said she was on the third floor.
“There was a weird smell on the first floor,” LaBianca noted.
Students and professors alike speculated what it could be. Several interviews with The Equinox indicated no one knew what the cause was.
However, some said it could have been a problem with the elevator or a gas leak. Others said one of the servers was burning.
Tim Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com
