Smoke leads to evacuation at Northern

Smoke in classrooms in Hagener Science Center led to evacuations, but firefighters found the cause was due to a problem in the air vents.

Havre firefighters responded Tuesday after a caller reported that there was smoke in three of the classrooms.

The call was made at 11:50 a.m. and Havre Fire Department Chief Tim Hedges said the classrooms were evacuated as firefighters spent an hour investigating and clearing the rooms of smoke.

The source of the smoke, Hedges said, was a belt malfunction in the air-handling system.

“It was just a little bit of smoke,” he said.

The HVAC system was shut down while the problem was being diagnosed and fans were brought it to clear the smoke out.

The fans remained in the classrooms after firefighters left and classes were restored. No one needed medical attention.