ROSEMONT, Pa. — Harriton High School was evacuated at 12:27 p.m. after a strange smell was detected outside the cafeteria.
The Bryn Mawr Fire Company arrived shortly after and deemed that it posed no threat. Students returned to class at 12:50 p.m., missing a chunk of their set five classes.
“[The Fire Department] determined that the source of the smell was most likely our HVAC system” Principal Stuart Warshawer said in a statement to HarritonTV. “District facilities personnel arrived shortly afterward, and are currently investigating the root cause of the odor.”
Some students describe seeing black smoke coming out of the vents near the cafeteria.
“There was a vent that had like gas coming out of it that smelled really bad” Senior Jonathan Ware said.
Sydney Shapiro, Harriton Sophomore, also added “I smelled like burnt rubber.”
This is the second time Harriton has been evacuated in the last year due to a foreign smell. The origin to the odor last year was reportedly a rotting fruit in a locker. Students were outside for a little under an hour last May. Notably students were held on the bleachers last year, while this year they sat in fire drill positions on the football field.
Administration tells HarritonTV that students can support the response by following the typical fire drill procedures, which include going directly to the football field and sitting with ones advisory
Please note this story was update 4/10/26 at 4:19 p.m. to include new information received by HarritonTV. We will continue to update this story as we learn more.
