HOULTON, Maine — A faulty battery on a cordless drill resulted in students at Houlton High School getting a later start to their day Tuesday morning.
Students were evacuated from the school around 8:15 a.m. when the smell of smoke permeated the front lobby of the high school on Bird Street. The school’s manual fire alarm was pulled and police and fire officials responded.
Fire officials quickly located the source of the odor.
“A science class was on their way outside to tap Maple trees and the battery inside the cordless drill malfunctioned, causing an odor of burning plastic near the lobby area,” explained Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone. “We used fans to clear out the smell and the students were back in class a short time afterward.”
