A sprinkler on the sixth floor of Amsterdam Hall (formerly New Hall) was activated tonight, causing fire alarms to go off and building to be evacuated for more than an hour.

Lt. L.A. Matthews of the D.C. Fire Department said someone activated a sprinkler, either by accident or on purpose. He said a call did come in reporting smoke, but there was no fire.

Students evacuated the building around 10 p.m., and fire trucks responded to the scene soon after. Just before 11 p.m., the fire marshall arrived, he said.

“They’re taking pictures and collecting evidence from the damaged sprinkler,” Matthews said.

He added that there was an “awful smell” on the sixth floor because the water had been sitting in the pipes.

“It’s mess,” he said. “I don’t know who’s going to clean up all that water.”

Students were allowed to re-enter the building at about 11:15 p.m.

Update 11:54 p.m.

After students were allowed back in the building, the carpet on the sixth floor near rooms 607 and 609 was being cleaned. Two UPD officers and a community director were at the scene but would not comment.Patches of water were also found in the fourth and fifth floor hallways corresponding with the area on the sixth floor.