Catholic Central High School graduation delayed due to possible fire
06.08.2009, 12:12
They believed the weather caused Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School's graduation to be delayed, but officials say that may not be the case.
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Witnesses say they saw sparks came out of the ceiling during the ceremony at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids.
It was believed lightning hit the steeple and caused a power surge that generated sparks.
All 800 people inside were evacuated, with the help of a firefighter whose son was graduating.
The building did not suffer any damage, and those inside say it was a sight to see.
"...the fire alarm goes off, all the time we were investigating, but didn't see any reason to keep going and as we proceeded there was an arc of fire that came down from one of the lights in the ceiling of the cathedral," said Catholic Central teacher Dave Gross.
Grand Rapids Fire Department officials say there was a flashing ribbon near the top of the church's steeple that may have been mistaken for a fire due to its color and reflective material.
The fire department investigated with thermal imaging and found no evidence of a lightning strike.
School officials say the graduation will continue Monday night in the high school gym.