Exposed wires cause scare at high school

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BROOKINGS – Suspicious wires that led to an evacuation of the high school Monday evening turned out to be benign, according to Brookings Police.

Officers were called to Brookings High School shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday because an employee spotted “some suspicious wires coming from one of the walls” in Bell Auditorium and was “concerned it was possibly an explosive device,” said Lt. Derrick Powers.

Police and Brookings Fire Department responded along with a local electrical contractor to assess the scene.

“The school was evacuated, after which the wires were investigated further. It was determined it wasn’t an explosive device. They were exposed electrical wires for some sort of electrical device that was mounted to the wall and the cap came off,” Powers said.

According to a Brookings School District statement, the device was a heat sensor component spotted while the employee was working in Bell Auditorium ahead of the BHS Orchestra concert scheduled that night at 7.

The scene was cleared around 7 p.m., “so it wasn’t a very long time,” Powers added, but it did mean the concert had to be postponed, with the rescheduled time and date yet to be determined.

Brookings School District Superintendent Klint Willert said staff adhered to the high school and school district safety protocols perfectly, which are regularly revisited, updated and practiced.

“I think it really speaks to how well we’ve been working on preparing the last several years to ensure the safety and security of our buildings,” Willert said. “We were very pleased with our partners, particularly the police department and the fire department, and their support and response to our needs.”