Justice Court evacuated due to strange odor

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The Maricopa Courthouse, located at 19955 N. Wilson Ave., was briefly evacuated Friday at approximately 12:30 p.m. becaue of a suspicious odor.

The Maricopa Fire Department was paged at 12:35 p.m. and began checking the area for a possible gas leak, though none was found, said Brad Pitassi, MFD public information officer.

After arriving on scene, the fire department evacuated the building to check it for a gas leak. When none was found either internally or externally, fire department personnel swept the entire area, including the surrounding buildings.

Hazmat technicians then arrived with gas metering devices and also did not find any indication of a gas leak.

"We were able to rule out any hazard,” Pitassi said.

Employees and patrons of the courthouse began re-entering the building at approximately 1:30 p.m.