A vaping teenager caused the fire alarm to set off at the Orange County Museum in California, leading to the evacuation.
The incident occurred on Sunday when an identified teenager was vaping in the bathroom. This set off the fire alarm, leading to a quick evacuation of the entire premise. Later, after the fire brigade arrived, the source of the smoke was located. It is not sure if any action was taken against the said teenager. Heidi Zuckerman, CEO, and director of the museum wrote on Instagram the next day: “PSA: Please do not vape in the bathrooms (or anywhere) @ocmamuseum. If you do: 1. You will set off the smoke alarm 2. We will have to empty the museum of our guests 3. The fire department will come.”
The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) was founded in 1962 as Balboa Pavillion Gallery. Since 1997, it has been known by its current name. In 2018, plans for a new building at the Segerstrom Center for the Art in Costa Mesa. The construction was finished in October 2020, though it had to remain closed due to the pandemic wave that intensified in November of that year. In October 2022, the new location was finally opened to the public. The delayed project, which cost $94 million, also attracted criticism for its design (reportedly caused due to unavailability of some materials during construction).
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Currently, the OCMA is exhibiting the California Biennial 2022. The museum also made the news recently for making entre free for the next 10 years, thanks to a $2.5 million donation from Lugano Diamonds.
