Justice Center Declared Safe in Clayton After Gas Smell Reported

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the building evacuated Wednesday afternoon. It is the Buzz Westfall Justice Center. This article has been updated to reflect the correct building.

The Buzz Westfall Justice Center in downtown Clayton has been been declared safe after someone reporting smelling gas inside, KSDK NewsChannel 5 reported. No leak was found.

Initial reports indicated people had been asked to leave the building at about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, but KSDK said people chose to leave voluntarily. At about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, emergency officials moved onlookers back to a surface parking lot across the street.

Firefighters from the Clayton Fire Department and Richmond Heights Fire Department arrived on the scene to determine the source of the smell, as were officers with the Clayton Police Department.

Michael Hardy, a Division 38 court reporter at the building, said he smelled gas on the third floor. He said he wasn't frightened.

Several St. Louis County employees and members of a grand jury said they had smelled gas on the eighth and second floors, respectively. They declined to be named. Maplewood-Brentwood Patch editor Doug Miner, who had been visiting the building to cover a court case, said he smelled gas on the first floor.

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