SAN ANTONIO – A broken sprinkler is blamed for flooding inside Stevens High School Thursday morning that caused classes to be cancelled and students to evacuate the building.
"We don't suspect foul play. We suspect a malfunction in the sprinkler system," Northside Independent School District Police Chief Charles Carnes said.
Shortly before 9 a.m., Carnes and some of his officers along with San Antonio police and firefighters arrived at the campus. Carnes said although a fire alarm went off, they did not find any evidence of a fire.
The sprinkler that malfunctioned is located in a main hallway on the second floor outside the cafeteria.
"And it flooded that area," he said. "It also flooded the downstairs."
NISD police officers helped move students to the auditorium and gym buildings, where some waited for their parents to arrive and pick them up. Others, including Leo Moreno, left the campus on their own.
"We just got our things and went to the car, to the parking lot," Moreno said. "It was wild. The sprinklers went off and everyone was getting wet. And then everyone just started leaving, started evacuating. "
Some students captured the images on their cell phones and shared them on social media.
During the incident, rumors were running rampant, including stories that there had been a fire or gas leak at the school. The school district quickly took to Twitter to quell them.
A sprinkler head set off fire alarms at @NISDStevens. There is NO fire. Fire Department is on scene.
— Northside ISD (@NISD) March 10, 2016
Carnes said no one was hurt during the incident.
The school was left with damage. Carnes said crews immediately began to address the problems.