Update: On Oct. 1 at 9:11 p.m., Carleton Safety announced that Mackenzie Building was re-opened for classes to go ahead as planned.
On Oct. 1, at 2:15 p.m., the Mackenzie Building was evacuated after a benzene chemical spill in the loading area. Ottawa Fire Services were on the scene with hazardous material staff doing a cleanup.
There is no word yet on how long the work may take, according to the school’s official Twitter account. The evacuation happened “due to the chemical smell dispersed throughout,” according to a tweet from Carleton’s Twitter.
Classes held in the building were cancelled for the day.
Steven Reid, media relations officer for Carleton, told the Charlatan that the school has not yet confirmed how long classes held in the building will be cancelled.
The Mackenzie Building, including its tunnel entrances, will remain closed for tonight, and updates will come tomorrow morning after more air quality tests are performed. The school is asking students to stay updated by checking cuLearn and their Carleton email accounts.
An official statement on the spill from the university, will come tomorrow morning after an official assessment of the building by the cleanup teams.
No word yet on what caused the chemical spill.
More to come.
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