Electrical system failure causes student evacuation

Carrington Public School students had just barely enough time to hang up their backpacks and take their seats for the beginning of another school week when the fire alarm went off.

But the normal alert sound was accompanied by an automated voice, "This is not a drill."

Students and teachers were forced to evacuate the school building around approximately 8:15 a.m. Monday morning, April 4, upon the discovery of smoke coming from a maintenance room adjacent to the school's art and elementary music rooms.

Carrington Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the scene and arrived shortly thereafter.

"A power transformer failed in the electrical room near the elementary music room," Fire Chief Ken Wangen said. "There were no flames, but there was a lot of smoke."

Assistant Chief Jason Wolsky said that when the fire department arrived, school officials, led by Superintendent Kris Kuehn, had already identified and isolated the problem.

"We quickly made sure the area was safe, and started ventilating the room," Wolsky said. "We were able to work with Otter Tail Power and Gussiaas Electric to ensure there was no further danger or issues with having school for the day, and we assisted in ventilating the building as well."

Kuehn said that the electrical failure was discovered when smoke was detected coming from the maintenance room and the fire alarm was pulled.

"Initially, the lights went out in the high school hallway, so we knew it was an electrical problem," said Kuehn.

Quick, decisive and orderly action from students and teachers allowed all to exit the premises safely, and the building was judged safe to re-enter around 8:40 a.m.

The cost of repairs to the transformer was unknown at press time, and electrical crews were busy at work replacing system components once the scene was cleared.

Because it is an insurance-related issue, Kuehn believes that the district will be responsible only for the amount of the deductible, which he said is $1,000.

He also said that he does not anticipate a special meeting being called to address the incident.

"I did not hear any negative feedback from students throughout the day," said Kuehn.

Wangen said, "The school's procedures for a fire emergency worked perfectly, and they had the kids evacuate as needed."

Added Wolsky, "I can't say enough about the job Mr. Kuehn and his staff did to get the students out of the building until everything was under control. This is truly an example of why you practice these things in schools because you never know when they can happen."

"We practice it [fire drills] numerous times a year, and the kids did a great job," Kuehn concluded.

Fire and Rescue responded to another smoke-related call at a residence in southeast Carrington later that night, in which Wangen said that a blower in the house's furnace failed.

Wangen stresses the importance for homeowners to make sure that they have properly-installed and operational smoke alarms in their house.