Smoke Forces Hilles Evacuation

Students were forced to evacuate Hilles Library for about half an hour last night when a smoldering light filled the building's second floor with smoke.

The library's alarm went off at about 8:30 p.m., forcing approximately 50-students outside until they were permitted to reenter at about 9:00 p.m.

Cambridge Deputy Fire Chief William T. Rose said a ballast--a filament which runs through fluorescent lights--had worn out and begun to smoke. "The ballast began to heat up and emit a burning odor," he said.

Second-floor windows near the source of the smoldering had fogged with smoke, but the smoke did not reach the third floor or the penthouse of the library.