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After getting a whiff of “a strange odor,” staff and students at a Baltimore high school evacuated for what turned out to be a pumpkin spice-scented air freshener.
A smelly investigation at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School took place around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to a statement from the school. Students on the third floor reported the odor.
Several students and teachers said they had trouble breathing, Bill Heiser, the school’s president, told the Baltimore Sun, adding that the unusual smell “appeared to be getting stronger.”
In response, Principal Walter Reap activated the school’s emergency plan and evacuated everyone out of the building, according to the school’s statement. Fire officials, including a HAZMAT team, were called to the scene.
Medics treated some staff and students on site, and five people were taken to nearby a hospital as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, fire officials’ investigation found that the building was safe. Baltimore fire spokesperson Roman Clark told the Baltimore Sun that the culprit was a pumpkin spice-scented aerosol plugin that was in a classroom on the third floor.
As for the emergency evacuation, Clark said “It’s better safe than sorry.”
Classes resumed on Friday morning.