Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair; CEO says "fire alarm pulled"



Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



WEST ALLIS -- The Cream Puff Pavilion was evacuated on Sunday, August 13th -- the final day of the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair.

As of 5:00 p.m., the pavilion had reopened.

Police and paramedics were on scene following the brief closure.

Wisconsin State Fair CEO Kathleen O'Leary told FOX6 News: "It was not an active shooter. That is false. A fire alarm was pulled."

"They are covered, but if someone is trying to pull it, I guess they were able to pull it," O'Leary said.

Some people thought this was an active shooter incident, but O'Leary said there were no shots fired, and no gun involved. State Fair officials said there was a fight between employees in the pavilion at the same time the alarm was pulled -- and they're looking into whether the two incidents were related.

Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



"It was not what people thought it was. People were not hurt. The evacuation was relatively smooth," O'Leary said.







Kathleen O'Leary



O'Leary said the investigation is ongoing, and police are reviewing surveillance footage to find out who triggered the alarm.

Several people who were there at the time said they thought they heard gunfire. Some claimed there was more of a panic than officials have described.

"When people were running with their cell phones in their hand, they misinterpreted it. There was no active shooter. There was no guns. No shots fired -- and no one was hurt," O'Leary said.

Photos taken by FOX6 News show the immediate aftermath, and O'Leary said one woman was evaluated outside the pavilion because of the stress of the situation.

Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



"She got very nervous when it all happened, hyperventilation due to all of the excitement," O'Leary said.

Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



Cream Puff Pavilion evacuated at Wisconsin State Fair



The pavilion was reopened within about 40 minutes.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates.