STAFF at St Albans district council who were evacuated from their offices in the Civic Centre at about 11am have now returned to the building.
Employees left the building this morning (Monday) after smoke started coming out of the air vents.
Fire crews spent two hours on site to determine the cause of the smoke and make the site safe.
St Albans fire service left the premises at about 1pm, but staff were not able to return to the building immediately as there was still smoke inside the offices.
Windows were opened to help ventilate the building, and the council offices were temporarily closed as a result of the smoke, which is believed to have come from an overheated fan belt.
Staff - none of whom were injured - were evacuated to the Alban Arena in the Civic Centre, and returned to the offices at 3.45pm.
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