The Duck Store on 13th Avenue was evacuated around 1:20 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 after two students experienced a medical condition related to feelings of lightheadedness.
According to Duck Store CEO Arlyn Schaufler, the Duck Store was told by the Eugene Fire Department to evacuate the building in case of a potential gas leak or carbon dioxide issue.
Officials evacuated the building and swept the store. After inspection, it was concluded by Eugene Fire Department that there were no issues related to a gas leak.
Emergency response vehicles on 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street after the evacuation of The Duck Store on Dec. 8, 2017. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)
“Whenever we have more than one person with a condition [Eugene Fire Department] will automatically evacuate buildings because they’re concerned about a potential gas leak that might affect many people,” Schaufler said.
Schaufler noted the bookstore portion of the Duck Store is upstairs and can get hot during busier hours, which may have contributed to the students’ conditions.
Vickie Gimm, a UO student and ASUO external Vice President, was at the Duck Store returning textbooks. She said that it didn’t seem hot upstairs and that the line to return textbooks was extremely long.
“I assumed they got dizzy because they would’ve been standing there for like 40 minutes,” she said in a message to the Emerald. Gimm said that she saw a woman collapse near the check-out area and heard the other incident only a few minutes before that.
The situation has been resolved and the Duck Store is resuming operations.
There were two confirmed cases of students experiencing lightheadedness, with a possible third student who left the building of their own volition.
Schaufler notes that this has been the first major instance in which 13th Avenue has been shut down from Alder to Kincaid Street since the 75th Anniversary of The Duck Store 41 years ago.
This story is developing.
