POST FALLS - This wasn't Zoell McKenzie's idea of a smooth and gradual wakeup call.

McKenzie was among the residents of St. Vincent de Paul's Meadowood Glen II complex on the west side of the Post Falls Senior Center who were evacuated from their apartment on Thursday morning due to a fire alarm and the smell of smoke.

"I was sound asleep when I heard firefighters ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door," the senior said.

Fire crews could not determine the origin or cause of the smell. Residents were evacuated around 9 a.m. from two buildings within the complex at 1105 E. Third Ave. and allowed to return to their homes around 9:30 a.m.

"There was a smell of smoke when the first engine arrived," said Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Warren Merritt. "We shut down the natural gas as a precaution to isolate what was going on."

Caregiver Donna June Smith said the commotion frightened several of the residents until the situation was deemed safe.

"When lights are flashing (from the alarms) and they're knocking on doors, you start to wonder what's next and if the ceiling is going to cave in," she said. "I was able to grab my keyboard and take it outside."

Residents were invited to the senior center next door for coffee during the investigation, but some simply waited outside their apartments.

Crews from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Northern Lakes Fire District, Coeur d'Alene Fire and Post Falls Police responded.