Reports of a fire at the University of Arizona Recreation Center made its rounds on Twitter around 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The official Tucson Fire Department Twitter account confirmed reports by tweeting a burnt-out over-hanging light at 3:11 p.m. 

The Rec Center was closed for just over two-and-and-a-half hours as students were asked to evacuate to the parking lot adjacent to the facility.

UA student Meghan Murphy was one of the evacuees. “I was waiting outside for about 15 to 20 minutes and then left after the announcement that it would take longer than they thought.”

Murphy explained how Rec staff helped shepherd patrons out of the facility.  “They said it wasn’t that severe but they were still cleaning up up until I left,” Murphy said. 

Another University of Arizona student Xiao Song Liu had a similar experience. “Actually I was almost done working out, and then we evacuated and waited in the parking lot for about 20 minutes. After that they told us that it was going to take longer and asked us to come grab our belongings.”

Song Liu said she felt left in the dark. “I don’t even know if it was real fire or if it was a false alarm. Even now I’m still unsure.”

The business office at the Recreation Center was closed and was unavailable for official comment. 

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