Library Evacuated After People Mistake Durian Smell For Leaking Gas

May 13, 2019

Durian, the notoriously pungent but widely adored fruit from Southeast Asia, caused quite a commotion last week in Australia.

The fruit reportedly prompted the evacuation of the University of Canberra library on Friday afternoon, South China Morning Post reported.

Calls of “a strong smell of gas” prompted the fire and rescue teams in the Australian Capital Territory to investigate the library.

The library was immediately evacuated as hazardous materials crews prepared to search the building and conduct “atmospheric monitoring”

It took the rescue squad just an hour to locate and identify the source of the odor.

“Firefighters have completed a search of the building and located the source of the smell,” the emergency services department shared. “The library is now being reoccupied and the building has been handed back to University of Canberra staff.”

The library staff would later reveal that it was the durian that was causing the strong scent.

While many people love the sweet and savory flavor of durian, its extremely powerful smell turns some people off.

According to library staff, the durian was left near an air vent on the library’s second level. It was then eventually removed in a sealed bag.

“We are open!” the university library’s Facebook page wrote. “The lingering gas-like smell in the building is completely safe: very sneaky.”

Netizens have since been poking fun at the incident, with many expressing their love for the fruit.

“I’m so happy someone left it in the bin! hahahah but yummm I LOVE DURIANSSS,” one university wrote on Facebook.

“Keep the seed, plant it and you might be able to export it to China … Durian is KING!!!” another noted in.

A similar incident happened last year at the RMIT campus in Melbourne, where another durian caused the university library to evacuate.

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