Tyler Horning/Collegian
The Hillsdale County fire department investigated Mauck Hall last night because of a strong odor and smoke setting off the fire alarms. They turned the situation over to Hillsdale Security after being unable to come up with an official explanation and cause of the problem.
Last night the Hillsdale County fire department got what they have labeled “a Mickey Mouse call.”
Around 9 p.m., Colleen McGinness, the house director of Mauck Hall, called 911 because of a strong odor and suspicion of smoke permeating the building and setting off the fire alarms.
Kevin Pauken, deputy chief of the Hillsdale County fire department, said that while they have yet to come up with an official cause for the problem, the odor was most likely caused by the burning out of light ballasts in the building's fluorescent lighting.
Light ballasts are the electrical ends of fluorescent bulbs and may from time to time burn out and cause a strong odor and the appearance of smoke.
Pauken said that the burning out of these ballasts could cause fires, but rarely do.
After the firemen arrived at Mauck, they evacuated the building and started searching for the origin of the problem.
“We decided to air out the building with fresh air and then see if the odor came back,” Pauken said.
“Maybe then we could find where it originated. It's hard when you're in there for a while, your nose gets too used to the smell to pick out anything important.”
While the firemen were investigating the problem, the women of Mauck were required to evacuate the building for two hours.
Some went to other dorms, some to the library and some waited outside to find out the outcome.
“The first thing I grabbed when we were evacuated was my blankie,” senior Erica Esten said.
Pauken rewarded several students who waited outside during the evacuation with a quick trip around the block in the fire truck, even turning the lights on for a moment.
The fire department left the building around 11 p.m. and turned over the investigation of the problem to Hillsdale Security services who will keep an eye on the situation for the next few days.