By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Faulty equipment is being blamed for a false alarm Wednesday night in southern Ellis County.

A tornado siren south of Hays was heard going off Wednesday night as severe weather moved through the area Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Ellis County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Ring said he is relatively certain lightning was not the cause of the malfunction. He believes a power surge could have been part of the issue.

Ring said the siren could be manually turned off, but not from the dispatch center.

The siren has been removed and taken in for repairs, according to Ring.