Students evacuated from the James E. Walker Library Saturday night after the fire alarm activated due to an electrical fire, according to the Murfreesboro Fire Department. 

First responders arrived on the scene to respond to water flow and smoke detector alarms, according to Capt. Chad Davis.

“What happened was a sprinkler head activated, and a lock balance had burned out on the top,” Davis said. “The sprinkler activated [and] put it out like it was supposed to.” 

Around 5 p.m., students heard a fire alarm activate, and an automated message instructed them to evacuate the building as soon as possible. About 30 students, including campus employees, sat outside and waited as first responders entered the building. 

“The alarm went off first, and I was just like what’s going on, and then that’s when I heard them say there was a fire in the building,” MTSU student John Guffy said. 

After roughly an hour, the building was cleared, and students were allowed to retrieve their belongings before the building closed at 6 p.m. 

The James E. Walker Library will resume normal operating hours immediately. 

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