BUTLER TWP — Between 70 and 90 youngsters and staff at the Butler County Children's Center were briefly evacuated late Monday morning over concern of a possible fire at the facility's building on Homewood Drive.

There was no fire.

Instead, authorities said, an overheated light ballast was the culprit,

“An electrical smell made us call 911,” said Steven Green, the center's chief executive officer. He said it appeared the smell was coming from a classroom.

A staff member ended up pulling the alarm shortly before 11:50 a.m. Earlier, the building suffered a power outage.

The strange odor was detected after power was restored, said Larry Christy, the township's fire marshal.

The Mercer Road Volunteer Fire Department arrived and inspected the building before giving an all clear.

Green said the children and staff members were outside for only about 10 minutes.

The faulty light ballast was determined to be in an office off the hallway, Christy said. The center's maintenance department was notified and workers planned to replace the ballast.

Following the incident, Green said, the school notified parents by email about what happened.

The Butler County Children's Center is a private, nonprofit corporation and school that provides child care, early education, family services and other children's programs.