Library Evacuated After Alarms Go Off

Thu., Jan. 20, 2000

From Staff

The downtown Spokane Library was evacuated and closed for two hours Wednesday afternoon after fire and security alarms went off.

The fire alarm was deactivated after about 10 minutes, but the security alarm rang continuously with staff unable to disable it, a reference librarian said.

The alarms went off around 3 p.m., said Jerome Sanders, a security guard at the library.

Fire crews arrived and determined it was a false alarm, the librarian said. The security alarm, however, continued to sound.

By 4:30, the problem had been tracked to the security barrier at the Skywalk on the library’s second level. The alarm still sounded when the barrier was raised.

A technician was brought in and the library reopened at 5 p.m., giving patrons an hour before the building closed at 6.

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