Lightning and an incorrect address are to blame for a nonworking fire alarm system that sent 70 Lancaster, Pa., charter school students home early, the Lancaster New Era reports.
City fire departments arrived at the school for a routine fire drill only to find the fire alarm wouldn’t sound when pulled. Myra Guevara, president of the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) Development Corp., which owns the school’s structure, said lightning struck the building during the summer, leaving the system with problems but still functioning.
SACA contacted the systems installer for repairs but discovered the entire system would require replacement. It received a $6,000 bid for the work, but the installer sent it to the wrong address, delaying the start of the work, the paper reports.
SACA officials thought the system was still functioning.
