A city-wide outage left Dell Rapids dark for about an hour Wednesday evening, and while living without electricity can be an inconvenience, it was when power was restored that a potentially dangerous situation occurred.
The Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office tells KSFY a fire broke out in the basement of Orchard Hills Assisted Living Center around 7:00 p.m.
The cause of the fire has been traced to the motor of the facility's sprinkler system, which possibly ignited as the result of a power surge.
An employee was able to knock the flames down quickly using a fire extinguisher, and staff members had most of the residents evacuated by the time fire crews arrived on scene.
No one was injured in the fire.
No word yet on any damage, but fans were necessary to clear out all of the smoke.
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