ORONO, Maine — A bomb threat that forced the evacuation of a University of Maine building on Thursday morning turned out to be a hoax, according to a UMaine spokesman.
The threat, emailed late Wednesday night to a staff member, led to an emergency alert early Thursday morning and the evacuation of Aubert Hall, UMaine spokesman Ron Lisnet said.
“An anonymous email went to a staff person at 10:56 p.m.,” he said Thursday. “That staff person read it this morning and immediately called university police.”
Campus police, with assistance from Orono police and fire crews, searched the building for anything suspicious and found nothing, Lisnet said shortly after the building was cleared by police at 10:35 a.m.
The hoax email “basically said there was a bomb in Aubert Hall,” the university spokesman said.
The emergency call was made to police about 8:15 a.m. and the campuswide alert was issued around 8:45 a.m.
About 30-50 people were evacuated from Aubert Hall, which is used primarily by the chemistry department, while the search was under way.
A second campuswide emergency alert was issued about 10:45 a.m. to inform students the situation was resolved and they were allowed to return to classes in the building.
“Police are continuing the investigation into the email which was the source of the bomb threat,” Lisnet said.
Making a false public report is one charge the person who sent the email could face, if caught.
This is not the first time UMaine officials have dealt with similar threats. A UMaine dorm was evacuated after a bomb threat in January 2011, and in October campus officials asked Bangor Police Department’s bomb squad to remove from a chemistry lab six sealed pieces of PVC pipe that resembled pipe bombs.
Major chem exam there this morning?
My thoughts exactly!
Or didnt complete an assignment
i know how it can be taking courses in that department. i took general chem. i was great in high school chem but for some reason got exam jitters with the profs in this department especially grad student Alan Ziv. when it came to exam time mind drew a blank drew a blank dont know why that happened had Bs in high school chem. frustrating being with pre mid majors no mercy
I want to know why all classes aren’t cancelled. Kind of dangerous, right?
Of course there’s more information available. UM just doesn’t want to release further information at this time. That’s the name of the game in PR.
I really wish they would tell us more, since I’m on campus! All I’ve received from the university was a text message.
If you hear a big loud boom, you’ll know what happened.
Who wrote the story, oh I see, BDN reporters. What, not one person wants to take credit for writing such a fine piece of journalism so just throw in BDN staff reports?
If I was a student at Maine I would be leaving the area as soon as the first report came in. Better safe then sorry kids.
Published a day after the original email come in and 30 minutes after the University discovered it, slow news day, I wouldn’t take credit for this….
In the Chemistry department? Irish Car Bomb. Happy St. Patties Day.
Whats going to happen if they have a Bomb Scare on election day and Charlie hid the Buses?
someone is on bathsalts
not a bomb scare.It was a Cain scare. Same destructive results.
You need to put a disclaimer in your comments, I need to put on my tinfoil hat before I read them.
as always good to see .45 caliber posting in support.
Email? Wow, that will be hard to trace. Better call Scotland Yard.