Bomb Threat, Elevator, 16 People, and 45 Minutes. Floor 2 - Bomb on 1.

Serious? It's too weird to make up. This afternoon, my building was evacuated due to a bomb threat. They announced over the P.A. system at about 3 pm that no one was allowed to leave the building. It seemed like a strange thing to announce, but I was having a really busy day, so I didn't think all that much of it and kept working. Soon people were bustling around the floor (I work on 30), and it was clear that something was going on. We could see from that police cars had blocked off 4th ave and 3rd street, which are both pretty major streets downtown. Next the bomb robot unloads itself from a minivan. At least I'm assuming it unloaded itself. They can do that, right? About 15 minutes later, the P.A. system announced that we are now not only allowed to leave the building, we are required too, and that it is, officially, a bomb threat. The man on the P.A. did not say 'officially', but his tone said yes. They also said to avoid the first and second floors (which would lead one to believe this is where the bomb was).

The fire marshalls came around and confirmed that we were to evacuate (who can work with a klaxon blaring away, anyway?). They also told us to take the elevator, not the stairs, and that we should exit out the back loading doors of the building once on the ground floor. I hoped on the elevator with three of my coworkers, and down we went, but not before stopping to pick up 13 more people two floors below us. Why do I know there were 13? 16 people on an elevator is seriously cramped, but everyone just wanted to get the heck out of dodge, so we made do. We went all the way down to floor 2, and then we got stuck! With 16 people in the elevator, right near the would-be bomb.

I've been stuck in an elevator before, and all we did then was push the phone button and talk to security, who phoned someone to release us. Actually, I think they had a beer first, but same difference. This time when someone pushed the button (I couldn't see who because I was at the opposite corner), but no one answered. There was zero cell phone service on any network. We waited a jammed and hot 20 minutes, frequently trying the phone, before someone else had an idea. Another person who had been stuck before (we nicknamed it Faulteous Centre from Altius for a reason) pried the doors a bit last time, and got cell reception. We tried it, it worked, and someone phoned 9-1-1.

It took then another sweaty, cramped 25 minutes to get the doors open and let us out. I thought the man next to me might have a heart attack. At one point he folded his hands in what looked like prayer, but I don't really think it was. He just didn't have enough room to rest his hands at his sides (no one did). About 15 minutes before they opened the door, a police officer came to talk to us from the other side, asking how many people were in there, and if everyone was alright. He kept checking about every 5 minutes, surely intuitively knowing about Mr. Heart Attack beside me. The answer to his first question was pretty funny.

"Is anyone in there?"
16 people: "YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It was deafening.

I haven't heard if it was a real bomb (typical skeptic, I doubt it). It was on the news, of course - downtown traffic was in gridlock for hours. They said there was package taped (taped could be a rumour) to the outside pillar of the building. While I was still at work, our office manager said that a suspiscious person had been arrested. I don't know, but I want the elevator arrested, and locked up in a very tight cell with 15 other elevators.