Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Robert Mak, NBC NewschannelSnack breaks could soon be a lot quieter in Seattle. The City of Seattle is considering a ban on microwave popcorn in downtown buildings.
A memo from the Fleets and Facilities Department addressed to "Employees at Civic Center Buildings," says there has been several evacuations in recent years due smoke alarms being tripped by burning popcorn.
The memo states that in the past three years, there have been eight evacuations at the Justice Center, which includes jail cells and courtrooms, because of burnt popcorn. That's more than 400 people evacuated each time.
There have also been several evacuations at City Hall and Seattle Municipal Tower because of the overcooked treat.
The memo states that if the problem continues, there will be a microwave popcorn ban in downtown City buildings. Each evacuation shuts down the buildings for 30-40 minutes.
The memo also gives employees tips on how to prevent the problem, such as following the package instructions and staying by the microwave to know when the popcorn is done.
