Rotting durian causes hundreds to evacuate from Melbourne library.
Even when ripe it is known as the smelliest fruit in the world and banned from subways and airplanes around the world.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that a rotting durian sparked fears of a major gas leak in a Melbourne library on Saturday, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of students and dozens of firefighters donning breathing apparatus as they investigated the stench.
Firefighters were called to the RMIT campus on Latrobe Street just after 3pm after a smell of gas was reported in a library.
Approximately 500 students and teachers were evacuated by Victoria Police as a precaution while an investigation was launched into the source of the smell, because the building was known to store potentially dangerous chemicals.
After a comprehensive search, firefighters identified the smell was not chemical gas, but gas generated from durian, which had been left rotting in a cupboard.
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade statement said the smell had moved around the building via the airconditioning system.
By 6pm the building has been reopened and firefighters were returning to the station.
The Environment Protection Authority will oversee the removal and storage of the waste.
