Prisoners being held at the Oamaru police station were yesterday evacuated from water-soaked cells after firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the station.
Sergeant Wayne Brew said there had been no fire, but a prisoner had smashed a sprinkler valve in one of the cell blocks, which released water in one cell and set off the fire alarm.
Sgt Brew said there had been three prisoners in custody at the time, and all had been moved into a police van, as part of an established evacuation plan.
Only one prisoner got wet - the youth who set off the sprinkler, he said.
''He was the last one to be moved, so he got a good shower. There was a lot of water that came out of there.''
He said the station was closed for about 30 minutes as the Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade isolated the alarm and turned off the water supply.
Although officers and staff had been evacuated, police services had not been hindered, he said.
