A test of the emergency civil defense sirens that was meant to be done off line accidentally went live this morning as horns sounded in downtown St. Paul.
A technician doing scheduled routine maintenance pushed the wrong button and activated the sirens around 8:30 a.m., said Judson Freed, director of Emergency Management for Ramsey County.
There was no emergency at the time.
"It's a bad day for a false alarm," Freed said, noting that severe weather is forecast for today and sirens may be activated this afternoon. "At least we know people can hear them."
