Ulster County offices evacuated for smoking elevator

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Ulster County offices at 244 Fair Street were evacuated around 9 a.m. Tuesday after an elevator malfunctioned and filled the building with smoke, according to an online statement from the City of Kingston Fire Department. The building is best known to locals for housing the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The situation was isolated to the elevator, city firefighters said. They removed the smoke from the building, and employees were allowed back inside within a half hour.

Ulster County Buildings and Grounds employees assisted at the scene. Crews were back in service around 9:30 a.m.

"This is once again an example of the importance of properly installed and maintained smoke detectors in all buildings," a spokesperson for Kingston Fire stated. "This was an occupied building, and the first notification of the problem came from an activated smoke detector. You won't always smell smoke or see fire in time, working smoke detectors save lives."