Small fire cleared at A.N. Bourns Building

A small fire in the A.N. Bourns Building that evacuated students, staff and faculty was put out earlier today.

A fire alarm in the building was pulled at 12:21 p.m, causing the building to be evacuated for about 1 hour. The Hamilton Fire Department responded promptly to the alarm and worked with McMaster Security Services to investigate the source.

It was determined that the alarm went off due to smoke from a fan belt motor being seized in a fan on a roof. Friction from the belt caused a small amount of smoke, wafting into the vents and filling parts of the building with a slight burning smell.

Facilities Services repaired the fan and the alarm was cleared at 1:19 p.m.

Students, staff and faculty were able to re-enter the building and it is now fully operational.