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Homemade Cell Phone Charger Catches Fire, Prompts Evacuation Of Bayside H.S.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) --  A cell phone sparks a major scare at a Queens high school Monday.

Bayside High School in Queens was evacuated after a suspicious electronic device caught fire.

The device turned out to be a homemade improvised phone charger that caught fire in an unoccupied locker, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.

A 9-volt battery linked to the cell phone began smoking inside the locker shortly after 10 a.m., prompting the evacuation of the school.

The NYPD made a clean sweep of the building, and decided the device was safe.

It was a bad idea perhaps but nothing sinister, Young reported.

Homemade Cell Phone Charger Catches Fire, Prompts Evacuation Of Bayside H.S.

The news immediately drew parents to the scene but many couldn't find their children, CBS2's Lou Young reported.

"My daughter said there was a lot of smoke on the first floor and I said, 'I want to pick you up now because I don't know if it's toxic or not. Why aren't they sending you home?'" said parent Paula Molese.

"I heard it was people running towards the hallways, and we saw a little bit of smoke, so I didn't know what was going on," one boy told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.

Students were ushered into a public park across the street.

Some described the evacuation as orderly; others said kids were running.

One girl said that it was not a smart move to bring a potentially dangerous device into the school.

"Do you know how much danger that could cause?" she said. " ... What if someone caught on fire in the classroom?

Students were finally allowed to go home about five hours after the evacuation began.

It was a harrowing day for parents who feared the worst and wouldn't believe anything else until they had their child in hand, Young reported.

"I'm just happy my kids are safe," said parent Al Williams.

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