Employees of the United States Geological Survey were meeting in Placer Hall at Sacramento State around 5:00 p.m this evening when a fire alarm went off.

A glitch in the computer fire system set off the alarm.

Donna Knitong, a United States Geological Survey employee, was present during the time of evacuation.

“The alarm went off and we were told to evacuate. It happens every once in a while,” Knitong said.

The United States Geological Survey and the geology department at Sac State share Placer Hall. No administrators or students were in the building.

Public Safety Specialist Gail Wheeler says that when events happen like this they treat it as a real incident.

“I am a safety officer for 300 people — it is my job to make sure everything is OK,” Wheeler said.

Receptionist Wilma Cornelius saw this incident as something that happens on occasion, but it usually does not have to deal with computer glitches.

“Usually it is popcorn setting off the fire alarm,” Cornelius said.

Vanessa Johnson can be reached at [email protected]