Devotional with Elder Abrea cut short due to fire alarm
(BYU) Daily Universe 16Jun99 C4
By Shannon Johnson: NewsNet Staff Writer

and

Fire alarm was working properly, say authorities
(BYU) Daily Universe 16Jun99 C4
By Shannon Johnson: NewsNet Staff Writer

While giving the weekly devotional address in BYU's de Jong Concert Hall, a fire alarm interrupted Elder Angel Abrea of the First Quorum of the Seventy, cutting short the devotional and leading to the evacuation of the building. By the time that the building was secured and officials were able to verify that there was no fire, the period set aside for the devotional was over.

BYU officials think that the alarm was caused by workers who were changing light fixtures in the building. The alarm is a beam of light between a light source and a sensor. When the beam is interrupted, the alarm sounds.

Bob Rhoads, facilities engineer at BYU, said that the system was working properly. "The system worked as it should have," he said, "It was a condition in which the device made the assumption that caused the system to go into alarm." The alarm is set to go off when 'particulate matter,' like smoke, interrupts the beam. Something interrupted the beam in a way that was similar to smoke.

By law, the building must be evacuated when the alarm goes off, according to Rhodes. "They can only assume when they get that alarm that there is cause for response," he said.

Elder Abrea's speech, entitled "A Divine Nature and Destiny," talked about the devine nature and potential of individuals and families. Elder Abrea emphasized the importance of Eternal families in his address. "Strong family ties do not happen by chance. To assume that eternal families will be developed through osmosis by the mere fact that we are members of the church and that our children have been born in the covenant is only wishful thinking, is only an expression of desire."

Elder Abrea recorded the remainder of the speech, without the audience, and the recorded speech will be broadcast as scheduled on Sunday on KBYU-TV and KBYU-FM.