As senior Jay Stanfield pulled into the parking garage, he was faced with an influx of uncertainty as the sidewalks became flooded with students.
At approximately 8:10 a.m on Nov. 10, the fire alarm went off, causing students to evacuate prior to first period. Students and faculty remained in the 50-degree weather for over two hours.
“Since I have first period off, I already knew what happened because my friends texted me,” Stanfield said. “Once I drove back in the garage, I walked back outside to see the rest of what was happening.”
A daily routine for Stanfield led him straight into the chaos.
“I enjoy the cold weather, so I was actually really excited to be outside,” Stanfield said. “I’m sure other people were upset because not everybody likes the cold. It was actually fun getting to talk to people. This was the best Monday ever.”
Despite the joy of some students, others felt the opposite. Juniors Eden Wilson and Eliana Weiner thought the uncertainty of the situation from both the faculty and students added to the already-present confusion.
“There was limited communication about what was happening, or if we were allowed inside,” Weiner said. “It felt like we had no idea what was happening.”
Due to the cold weather, both juniors went to Wilson’s car, parked on the third floor of the garage. They heard honking from the exit, which was barricaded by administrators prohibiting cars from exiting.
“Kids were driving in circles in the garage, with kids riding on the back of pick-up trucks speeding,” Weiner said. “Drivers were honking, and people were walking everywhere.”
As the fire alarms went off, students like junior Micah Love were in the locker room changing after finishing swim practice.
“It was unpleasant having to leave the locker room mostly because my hair was so wet from water,” Love said. “I was angry because there was a lot of mixed information; some people were saying the APs were letting us leave school, [and] others said there were cops outside in Meyerland Plaza waiting for students.”
As Love waited outside, she turned to other methods of entertainment to fend off the cold.
“My friends and I played the game concentration,” Love said. “We ran laps around the football field to keep ourselves warm. At one point, we laid on the concrete where the sun was warm to dry off our wet hair. My head was hurting, my nose was stuffed up and I was so tired. I think I’m going to get sick because of how long we stayed outside.”
The initial rumor behind the evacuation was a fire in the athletic wing. After students returned to their classrooms, Principal Michael Niggli explained the evacuation was because of a freon leak in one of the HVAC systems in the wing.
“After the system generating the leak was shut down and the area was cleared of any concerns, the building reopened,” Niggli wrote in a post on Student Square. “We could not reopen the building until the fire department gave us the all clear to return to the building.”
Two fire trucks, policemen and a hazmat team later, Bellaire was deemed safe for students to return to classes. Students resumed a normal bell schedule for the remainder of the day.
“People are frustrated and irritated,” Love said. “I feel like everyone is going to try to go on like nothing happened, but they can’t do that.”
