Entering Hingham High School this morning after two snow days, students certainly were not expecting to stand in the cold for 20 minutes with four foot snowbanks closing in on them. However, around halfway through B block, the fire alarm began blasting unexpectedly. Many students believed the alarm was faulty. However, the school was evacuated swiftly with students and staff shivering in the frigid aftermath of the snowstorm as they anticipated being let back into the heated building.
After about 20 minutes, students were packed into the auditorium, the Pleasant Street entrance, and room 103 in order to prevent any interference with the HFD and maintain safety precautions. Confused students thawing from their unexpected snow experience bustled about the auditorium, trying to determine the trigger of the alarm. After a brief 10 minutes, students could return to their B block classrooms with the exception of the health class, which was promptly moved to room 103.
Eventually, students and staff were notified about the reason for evacuation. A pipe burst in the upstairs girls locker room, with water falling fiercely from the ceiling into a rapidly growing puddle. Luckily, the Hingham Fire Department responded promptly, assessing the situation and determining that students and staff could return to the building. Throughout C block however, the light emanating from the alarms continued to flicker, distracting the students.
By the beginning of D block, the alarms ceased their flickering. Luckily, nobody was injured during this ordeal. Today was certainly not how anybody expected the first day back after two snow days to go!
