Durian - the fruit known as the smelliest in the world - sparked an evacuation in Melbourne on Saturday. Credit:Alamy

Even when ripe it is known as the smelliest fruit in the world and banned from subways and planes around the world.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that a rotting durian sparked fears of a major gas leak in a Melbourne library on Saturday, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of students and dozens of firefighters donning breathing apparatus as they investigated the stench.

Firefighters were called to the RMIT campus on Latrobe Street just after 3pm after a smell of gas was reported in a library.

Approximately 500 students and teachers were evacuated by Victoria Police as a precaution while an investigation was launched into the source of the smell, because the building was known to store potentially dangerous chemicals.