The Gateway evacuated 21 residents at about 6:20 p.m. Monday after an elevator motor malfunctioned and overheated.
Ricky Bomar, battalion chief of the Lynchburg Fire Department, said the motor heated the hydraulic oil causing the basement level of the three-story building at 300 12th St. to fill with white smoke.
Firefighters used cooling fluids to stop the smoke and make it safe for residents to re-enter the building.
Scott Fightmaster, resident tech at The Gateway, said he called 911 and pulled the fire alarm after smelling a chemical smell and seeing smoke.
All of the residents were accounted for.
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