Residents and staff at a Queensland aged care home were forced to evacuate after people reported smelling gas.

Fire crews were called to the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre (pictured above) on 9 December at around 3.40pm, 20 minutes after management evacuated the Norman Gardens centre immediately after the smell was detected.

Within an hour, residents and staff were given the all clear to return, with some unconfirmed reports claiming a ceiling fan had hit an emergency sprinkler which caused its activation.