Had a friend tell me of exact same thing happening in London 20 years ago. She was from Borneo going to universityl there and was really homesick. When she found a durian in a Chinese store she was delighted. She bought it, left it at her dorm, and continued her shopping. When se returned several hours later all the students had been evacuated, and the fire department had cordoned the area off. She finally realized it was her durian that caused the scare, and she told the chief of the fire department, who gave her a stern lecture never to do that again!
I doubt the durian was "rotten". All it needs to be is ripe to give off strong gaseous smell.