May 14, 2014

Evening fire call
Members of the Menno Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Menno Public School Monday evening, May 12. Firefighters traced the source of the alarm to a malfuntioning light ballast in the north hallway near the administration offices that had produced enough heat to trip a nearby heat sensor. Members of the department disconnected the ballast. Scott Simonsen, chief of the Menno Fire Department, said damage was limited to the ballast, which he vauled at around $100. The alarm interrupted a meeting of the Menno Board of Education, which was in progress in another part of the buliding at the time. Firefighters were on the scene for about 20 minutes, Simonsen said. About 15 firefighters responded to the call. Above, Menno firefighters Robert Heckenlaible and Daniel Mettler examine the problem ballast at Menno Public School Monday evening. Scott Simonsen, chief of the Menno Fire Department is at right.
PHOTO BY ERIK KAUFMAN