'Little Bit of Smoke' at Fridley High School Gets Big Response

A fire alarm at Fridley High School emptied the building at about 1:11 p.m. Friday and got Fridley firefighters in gear and on the scene, but the incident wasn't such a big deal in the end, according to Fridley Fire Chief John Berg.

A burned-out motor in a blower unit in a classroom in the southwest corner of the building "created a little bit of smoke," Berg said.

But the initial report the Fridley Fire Department was that a fire alarm was going off at the high school, and then that there was smoke in the building.

"We were in full response mode," Berg said—until they discovered the source of the smoke. 

He estimated that students and staff spent 10–15 minutes outside—on an unseasonably warm January day.