Swearingen Evacuation
By Taylor Cheney | Jan. 26, 2011The Swearingen Engineering building was evacuated Tuesday night after a possible gas leak. The Columbia Fire Department was called in response around 7 p.m. and the building had to be evacuated. Law Enforcement confirmed the suspicious odor was due to paint fumes in the building. Fourth-year electrical engineering student Christopher Smith said he was getting a drink from the soda machine when he noticed police cars outside the building. Moments later, the fire alarm went off and he had to evacuate from the second floor. “We heard the fire alarm go off the left side of the building,” Smith said. “My friend and I saw two USC police and thought ‘That’s weird.’” USC Spokeswoman Margaret Lamb said the building was open for re-entry at 8 p.m. and no damages were made.