Students and staff at Red Deer College have been evacuated from the east areas of the campus due to a gas leak Tuesday morning.
The affected areas of campus are the 800 and 900 wings, and the Four Centres Building.
College officials say everyone is safe and have been safely evacuated from the affected areas.
Classes and offices are closed in the affected areas until later today when the leak is expected to be repaired.
ATCO Gas is on site fixing the source of the leak.
Students and faculty at Red Deer College had returned to their desks and work stations by 10 a.m. after an emergency evacuation early Tuesday morning.
Jeff Maser, communications co-ordinator for the college, said people were asked to leave the 800 and 900 wings and Four Centres building at the east side of campus after someone reported smelling gas in the welding shop.
Maser said the odour was detected shortly after the 7 a.m. classes started.
ATCO Gas was called to investigate, but did not find any leaks. However, people who had been removed from the area were not allowed back in until the gas company and college officials had conducted a thorough investigation.
ATCO termed the smell an anomaly and was therefore determined to be a false alarm, said Maser. Because the east wing houses a number of industrial shops as well as a cooking area, the odour could have come from a variety of sources, he said.
The evacuation was performed as a precaution, but the college and gas company officials did not feel it necessary to shut down the entire facility.
Staff who had not yet arrived for the day were told not to come to work until further notice while those people who were already on campus were sent to the west wings.
The college used its gym as an evacuation centre, said Maser.
College officials will closely monitor the area for the next few days to make sure there are no problems, he said.