An intense burning odor on Friday morning forced the evacuation and early closing of the Lincoln Center, the central office for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

“About 9:00, we noticed a smell that came on, and it was pretty sudden and pretty strong,” says district spokesperson Jeff Nash. “It smelled like – when you turn on the heater for the first time each winter, you get the smell of the dust that’s burning – like that, but very intense, so obviously some kind of electrical (or) mechanical thing.”

The Chapel Hill Fire Department arrived on the scene quickly and determined a mechanical issue had affected the ventilation system. Steps are being taken to make the needed repairs, but the center was closed for the rest of the day.

“Because of the strong odor, we were concerned about employees getting headaches,” says Nash. “(We had) no symptoms, no reports of anybody getting sick – but we want to be on the safe side, so we’ve closed the building to the public.”

 

Nash says most employees will be reachable by cell phone.

The full statement from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools:

Due to an intense burning odor permeating the building, Lincoln Center had to be evacuated this morning. The Chapel Hill Fire Department arrived on the scene quickly and determined a mechanical issue had impacted the ventilation. Steps are being taken to make the needed repairs, however the building will be closed to the public for the remainder of the day. It will reopen after the holidays, on Monday, January 5.