Smoke fills Sidney High School, students evacuated

SIDNEY - A fire scare evacuated students from Sidney High School on Thursday afternoon.

The Sidney Volunteer Fire Department entered the school through a north doorway on Jackson Street. The Sidney Police Department, Cheyenne County Sheriff's office and Sidney EMT's also responded to the scene on the corner of 19th and Jackson Streets at approximately 12:20 p.m. 

According to Fire Chief LaVerne Bown, one witness said the hallway became full of smoke. 

"After some searching, we determined it was one of the blower motors in one of the heating systems that caused the smoke issue," Bown said. "The smoke pushed out through the ventilation system. The principal, Chris Arent, pulled the fire alarm for safety sake, because they couldn't find the source."

Bown says the school's evacuation plan worked well and everyone was out of the school by the time they arrived.

Students returned to their scheduled classes after exiting the building for about 30 minutes.