Red Cross donor center evacuated Wednesday

Smoke inside the Red Cross blood donor center on the corner of Odlin Road and Hammond Street on Wednesday morning prompted evacuation of the building.

The Bangor Fire Department got the call for help at about 10:30 a.m. and dispatched two engines, the ladder truck and its heavy rescue vehicle to the facility. Crews found employees in the parking lot when they arrived, Assistant Fire Chief Darrell Cyr said.

“The call came in [reporting] smoke coming out of a vent in the bathroom,” he said. “It was an air conditioning unit that failed.”

It took firefighters less than a half-hour to determine the cause of the smoke and return to their station. Once emergency crews left, employees were allowed to re-enter the building. (Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN)