German firefighters ‘free’ high-school exam from locked safe

BERLIN (AP) — Firefighters in the western German town of Bocholt received an unusual distress call Friday from a local high school. The teachers there were unable to open a safe containing a final-year exam that students were due to take. Officials said firefighters raced to the scene to find that the lock had jammed and set about sawing open the safe. The fire department said the students were able to take the exam after about an hour’s delay. While teachers cheered the firefighters for saving the day, the reaction from students was mixed. Fire department spokesman Matthias Hanne said some students “would probably have enjoyed a sunny day off instead.”