Tribune staff reports

A smoke detector went off at the Freeborn County Government Center yesterday afternoon, but there was no fire. People were evacuated to loud horns and strobes and had to stand outside in the cold for about eight minutes while the fire department searched for the alarm’s cause, which turned out to be cement dust that got caught in a smoke detector after some workers had drilled into a wall.

Though it was an inconvenience for employees, the evacuation went well and was good practice, according to Facility Manager Randy Jensen.

&uot;I think everything went real smooth. People are getting familiar with the building,&uot; he said. &uot;The problem was found, alarms were re-set and we’re back in business.&uot;