Liverpool John Moores University’s new £37.6m Redmonds Building was evacuated on Monday as emergency drill procedures were tested.
The alarm was sounded at around 11am, with pupils and staff assembling outside the nearby Art & Design Academy while the drill was in progress.
Rumours quickly spread that the procedure was a real emergency as all university classes were disrupted, but students were quickly allowed back inside.
Business Student Sarah Farrelly told JMU Journalism: “We don’t know if it’s a drill, or if it’s for real. I’m freezing!”
The drill was organised by the building’s fire wardens in order to see how the evacuation process works in a real situation.
The disruption lasted for around 20 minutes, and lessons resumed within half an hour.