The Schottenstein Center was evacuated briefly during the Ohio State men’s basketball game on Dec. 16, 2017. Credit: Lantern file photo
Early in the second half of the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s game against Appalachian State Saturday evening at the Schottenstein Center, everyone in the building was told to evacuate.
During a stoppage of play, the fire alarms sounded, triggering an audible alert throughout the building that ordered people inside the facility to leave.
Colin Thompson, the general manager of the Schottenstein Center, said the fire alarm went off due to the failure of an exhaust fan in a concession stand. The failure of the fan caused the smoke to build up and eventually set off the alarm.
Less than 10 minutes later, fans re-entered the arena and the game resumed shortly thereafter. There were no injuries during the evacuation.
“All building systems performed exactly how they were designed,” Thompson said. “We were really pleased with the way the staff responded. We really apologize for the interruption.”
This was the first evacuation in the history of the Schott during a game.
