As EnCouncil members, WUPD officers and B&D Security ushered jacket-less and intoxicated students out of Lopata Gallery, firemen poured into the building and staff rushed around the area in confusion.

Vertigo, the rave hosted by EnCouncil every year, was cut about 90 minutes short by fire alarms set off by the event’s fog machines. The party was slated to run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., but the alarms sounded sometime around 12:30 a.m.

It was the first time in several years for the party to feature fog machines. EnCouncil President Kevin Mallon, a senior, said that the group had coordinated with the Facilities Planning & Management to turn off the fire alarms in both Lopata Hall and Urbauer Hall.

“We had tested the fog machines earlier, however we only had half an hour of testing so we weren’t able to see any of the long-term effects,” he said. “[The] dean of the engineering school was OK with it…the fire department was aware of it [and] staff was trained for fire safety beforehand.”

While EnCouncil did not make the choice to end the party, Mallon said the group agreed with the Washington University Police Department’s decision.

“[There was] only about an hour of the party left,” he said. “To get everyone in that line and through the check-in process, we’d probably still have people in line by the time we closed at 2 a.m.”

Despite some disarray around the evacuation and evaluation of the area, WUPD Chief of Police Don Strom said the staff on duty did a reasonable job handling the situation.

“I think there was some delay in the response but that’s not to be unexpected…I’m sure they wanted the fire department to inspect the site before it was re-occupied,” he said. “By the time the site was cleared out…people decided it was just as well to close the event for the evening.”

He added that the fire department did a good job despite the large number of students and other complications involved.

“I think they did a good job assessing what was going on and working with the organizers, and taking steps that were the best for everybody,” Strom said. “From talking to our staff, I know the site was secured quickly.”

Students noted general confusion over the proceedings, but were not particularly disappointed by the party’s early finish.

“It was a little sudden; I think a lot of the people didn’t realize the alarms were going off because of the music that was playing at the time,” sophomore Stephen Rubino said. “It was a little disappointing but it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

While some students waited to be let back inside to get their coats and grab leftover boxes of pizza, many simply continued with their evenings.

“Once we realized [the alarms were going off] we all just filed out the door. Most people just went to the frats,” sophomore Lauren Sexton said.

Vertigo costs SU about $11,000 every year. Mallon estimated attendance was between 1,000 and 1,100 students.