UF’s Hernandez Hall was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a student reported feeling light-headed and smelled an odor in the building. Students were back in classrooms about an hour later.
University Police received a call reporting the incident around 12:20 p.m., said University Police spokesperson Sgt. Chad Holway.
Holway said the building was evacuated and Gainesville Fire Rescue Hazardous Materials Rescue was called out of caution. The building reopened at about 1:30 p.m. after Gainesville Fire Rescue was unable to find any hazards.
Holway said the student who reported feeling faint was checked on by Gainesville Fire Rescue but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
Priyanka Yealuru, a 19-year-old biomedical engineering freshman, was in class when the building was evacuated. She said she couldn’t smell anything, but heard someone had passed out because of an odor, which was unconfirmed.
“The head instructor said she was getting the alarm and to get everyone out,” Yealuru said. “And then we evacuated outside of the building. That’s when I saw all the fire trucks and stuff coming.”
Students head back into Hernandez Hall after the evacuation order was lifted from the building. The entire building was forced to evacuate Wednesday afternoon after multiple students reported feeling lightheaded.
