Burned out electric motor the culprit for smoke smell in school

FLOWERY BRANCH - South Hall Middle students and staff got a short rainy break from class Monday morning because of the smell of smoke in the building.

Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell said a burned out motor on a heating and cooling unit was the culprit. He says students were back in class shortly after the 11:15 a.m. evacuation.

The school is on Falcon Parkway in Flowery Branch.

School system spokesman Gordon Higgins said the HVAC unit was on the roof of the school. Some smoke got into the ventilation system in a classroom wing. Higgins said there was no damage to the building.