Brasenose College was partially evacuated following a chlorine gas leak, with the fire brigade called to the scene to deal with the incident.
According to students at the college, the alarm began at approximately 1.10pm, with one telling Cherwell that they had been instructed by two workers to “get out of the building immediately”.
Two of the college’s three quads were evacuated, with the domestic bursar telling students in an email that the fire service were “working with our teams to resolve as quickly as possible”.
Later, the College’s Bursar told Cherwell: “There was not a fire, but the sensors had detected chemicals of concern in the air. The fire service attended and dealt with the incident.”
Purav Menon, a 3rd year PPE student at Brasenose, told Cherwell that there had been “a fire alarm going off for the past five to ten minutes across most of the college buildings. Everyone’s standing outside and it’s not the usual drill.”
Additionally, Lawrence Thorn, a 1st year Experimental Psychology student at Brasenose, explained to Cherwell that he was walking up to his staircase when he heard two workers saying: “Quick, pull the fire alarm.” He was subsequently told to “get out of the building immediately”.
Despite the incident, one student at the college told Cherwell that “it seems like people aren’t really fazed.” Before being evacuated, they added: “It seems like life is going on as normal – people are playing croquet, sitting around eating lunch.”
Philip Parker, the College’s Bursar, told Cherwell: “I [can] confirm that the emergency services attended College on Thursday 1st May in response to the triggering of a fire alarm.
“We cannot yet confirm more details about the cause and await the report of the emergency services and our internal investigations.
“The College is very grateful to the emergency services and our in-house team for attending quickly and ensuring the safety of all our College members. We are also grateful for the support and understanding of our students, staff and academics during an afternoon of disruption and inconvenience.”
