A Baltimore high school was evacuated on Thursday due to a "strange odor," which prompted a hazmat investigation.
BREAKING: Baltimore high school being evacuated for possible hazmat situation: https://t.co/cf4KvYEdXx
It turned out to be...a pumpkin spice air freshener.
UPDATE: A spokesman for the Baltimore City Fire Dept has confirmed the source of the odor was a pumpkin spice air f… https://t.co/F14xRdxbF9
“It was a smell that they certainly weren’t used to,” Bill Heiser, president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, told the Baltimore Sun. “It appeared to be getting stronger.”
The principal called for the school to be evacuated, and the Baltimore City Fire Department was called in, who then brought in a hazmat team.
According to Heiser and the fire department, several members of the school community complained of difficulty breathing and stomach aches. Five were hospitalized, the school said in a statement.
Spokespeople for the high school and the fire department could not be immediately reached for comment.
After "extensive testing," the building was deemed safe, and the cause of the smell was found: a pumpkin spice air freshener, which was plugged in inside a classroom.
Evacuation at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School..Hazmat crews called after sickening odor. Fire officials say, "pumpkin… https://t.co/Vf2LBljfPW
While it wound up being a false alarm, a fire department spokesman Roman Clark said the school was right to call for help.
"it’s better safe than sorry," he said.