Don't yell fire in a very tall building.

[shirenomad]

Someone pulled the fire alarm a couple hours ago. That was interesting. Apparently there really was a (small) fire in the upper stories, so they ordered the evacuation of the 12th through 15th floors... all the way to the parking lot. That's a lot of stairs. *got his exercise for the month*

So we stand out there in the parking lot, killing time until the all-clear, theorizing on what's going on and joking about it. Since we couldn't see any smoke or airplane-shaped craters in the side of the building, someone suggested that the fire must be on the 13th floor (this building, fyi, doesn't have one), and then a lot of us started making up ways that the fire department shamans/wizards/whatever could get there anyway. Much to the annoyance of the secret society that has been hiding there since...!

The Starbucks in the neighboring structure saw all these business people standing around and decided to get in some free publicity by handing out sample cups of their brews. Given that it was still morning and nippy, those went fast.

But anyway, all-clear was sounded, elevators reactivated (thank you!), and we all went back up. Can't speak for the other floors, but our office remained intact and smoke free during the whole affair.

Comments

[scribe-of-stars.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of Louis Sachar's Wayside School, which was built without a nineteenth floor despite its being thirty stories high. If you were unlucky, you might find yourself there anyway...trapped for life, unless you could figure out the way to escape.

[surgo.livejournal.com]

I loved those stories as a kid.

[shirenomad]

That way being "don't wear socks." :D