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PENDER COUNTY, NC (AP / WITN) – The Sheriff for Pender County says that it is a malfunctioning water heater that sounds good at Topsail High School.
"What I heard when I got here like gunfire," said Sheriff Carson Smith, "I do not want anybody to think that the students have arrived at this scene."
Captain James Rowell says that 911 received a call around 5:51 AM from someone at the school who hears what it sounds like.
Officers with several agencies have been found, Rowell said.
Superintendent Steven Hill says it's a blister for a water heater from Hurricane Florence. Hill pointed to the combustion chamber at the bottom of the heater saying that the device in there When it hits a relief valve, it sounds like a weapon going off when it hits the exit pipe, Hill said.
There will be no more noise from the water heater until it is fixed or completely repaired, Hill said.
Rowell says that 16 to 17 students who were there for athletics were immediately evacuated to Topsail Middle School.
The second half of the school day will be planned at Topsail High School.
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School officials in North Carolina are making preparations to get the school started late after a busy school year.
Pender County schools spokesperson Miranda Ferguson said in an email that Topsail Elementary and Middle School staff will be available soon. She says bus routes for several schools will run on a three hour delay.
Ferguson said there was a report of an active shooter at Topsail High School on Friday morning after noises were heard from the top of the building. The report provides a massive response to the law and the school district.
Capt. James Rowell of the County Pender Sheriff's Office was quoted as saying that it had been made in the past. He says things have been found to be an HVAC unit that has been malfunctioning and making similar sounds to gunshots.
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A county official says that a malfunctioning water heater at Topsail High School can be blame for an active shooter call.
News outlet report that Pender County Emergency Management Director Tom Collins said the noise from the water heater was taken for the sound of gunfire at Topsail High School on Friday morning. The earlier report of shots fired provoked a massive response by law enforcement and caused the school district to reroute buses and schools on lockdown.
Capt. James Rowell of the County Pender Sheriff's Office was told local news that it was not enough.
He said that it was an HVAC unit that was malfunctioning and making similar sounds to gunshots.
As of 7 a.m., Capt. Rowell told WECT-TV in Wilmington that there were no reported injuries.
As of 8 a.m., the scene is still alive and still on lockdown.
The sheriff's office is expected to hold a press conference sometime Friday morning.
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Law enforcement is reporting to an active shooter at Topsail High School.
Our sister station WECT reports the Pender County Sheriff's Office received a call regarding an active shooter around 6:30 am Friday.
Pender County Schools posted on Twitter that all campuses on the eastern side of the county are on lockdown.
School buses for Topsail Elementary, Topsail Middle and Topsail High are being directed to Lowe's Foods across the elementary school, where parents could pick up their children. Staff members of those schools were asked to report to the same place.
Capt. James Rowell told WECT there are no reported injuries as of 7 a.m.
Commissioner George Brown told WECT that there is a piece of equipment that has been malfunctioning recently and sounds like gunfire when it makes noise. He says this is being investigated as a source.
Live footage shows the law enforcement agencies currently at the school where the scene remains active.
According to the school website, school begins at 8:30 a.m.
There is no word on whether a suspect has been identified or if anyone is in custody.
We are working to get more information and have a crew on the way to the scene.
We will update this story as soon as we learn more.
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