Students and faculty evacuated Eucalyptus Hall yesterday around 2 p.m. due to a mistakenly activated emergency fire alarm.

As students filed out of the building, one Los Angles County fire engine and four CSUN police squad cars responded to the scene.

After a short-lived investigation – someone thought they saw smoke – officials determined the source of what turned out to be a false alarm. Steam.

“Someone pulled an alarm,” said Los Angles County Fire Engineer Jim Boyle, shortly after giving the OK for students to go back to class. “They thought they saw smoke from a fire, but it was actually just steam from the basement.”

However, before the false nature of the alarm was even revealed, graduate student Jora Amirkhanian stood calmly among a counted group of more than 75 evacuees – across the street from Eucalyptus Hall -v on the eastern side of Lindley Avenue.

While most students were speculating among themselves as to the validity of the evacuation, Amirkhanian had one thing on his mind.

“We were supposed to get our exams back today,” he said, citing a human physiology test in which he was eager to see the results.

Student Sally Helmerich also felt inconvenienced. She had almost made it to her Biology 281 class before the alarm suddenly sounded, and students casually began dispersing outside.

Boyle said a single false alarm was not enough to justify a fine being levied to the University. However, if the problem becomes “chronic,” fines may follow.