Firefighters in the western German town of Bocholt received an unusual distress call Friday from a local high school after teachers were unable to open a safe containing the questions for a final-year exam that students were due to take.

Firefighters raced to the scene to find that the lock had jammed and set about sawing open the safe, the Bocholt fire department said.

“That way the students were able to sit their exam with about an hour’s delay,” it said.

While teachers cheered the firefighters for saving the day, the reaction from students was mixed.

“Some of them would probably have enjoyed a sunny day off instead,” said fire department spokesman Matthias Hanne.

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.