Covel Commons evacuated because of pipe in fire extinguisher box
Covel Commons has been evacuated as of about 11:45 a.m. because of a pipe found in a fire extinguisher box.
The Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad is investigating the pipe, said university police spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.
“From what I understand, they’re using some sort of robot thing to look inside,” said Jeff Hall, manager of on-campus housing maintenance.
The pipe was located in a fire extinguisher box in the loading dock of Covel Commons, and the fire extinguisher that should have been in the box was missing, Greenstein said.
Covel Commons staff called police around 10 a.m. to report the suspicious object, said UCPD Sgt. Tracy Karafelas.
As a precautionary measure, the immediate exterior of Covel Commons and the nearby Sunset Village parking lot have been blocked off. Traffic from Sunset Village to De Neve Plaza is being redirected.
Dozens of people are standing outside the area, including housing administrators, dining services workers, students and prospective students and their families.
