Power to the La Fenice opera house mysteriously shut down yesterday, disabling the sophisticated fire prevention technology that was installed to prevent a repeat of the 1997 tragedy, when the landmark jewelbox was reduced to a smoldering pit. Members of the National Fire Department swarmed over La Fenice and Campo San Fantin. The resulting insanity rousted some 900 students and teachers -- many from out of town -- from their nearby hotels and forced them scrambling for other accomodations.
In the end, it was a dead computer back-up battery.
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