About an hour before the start of USA Swimming’s 2006 Spring Championships, the fire alarms went off at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, and the swimmers warming up for tonight’s finals evacuated the pool.

A motor for the natatorium’s ventilation system overheated, causing smoke to fill parts of the facility. The meet was delayed for an hour and 45 minutes while the smoke cleared.

The unscheduled delay didn’t bother 2005 world champion Kate Ziegler, though. Ziegler, 17, of the Fish, easily swam away with the top time in the prelims of the women’s 800m free, her time an 8:35.20. Southern Cal's Kalyn Keller posted the top time by a collegian, qualifying fourth in 8:46.66.

“We came over right before they closed the pool, so I did some extra stretching,” Ziegler said. “We had other things we could do, so I didn’t let it affect me.”

Ziegler entered the meet with a short course yards cut and swam in Heat 2. Her plan was to swim the 800 early in the evening, then do a short practice while the rest of her teammates competed in tonight’s events.

She will be representing Team USA at the Short Course World Championships in Shanghai next week and is swimming in Federal Way as a warm-up for that meet.

“I wasn’t really working too hard tonight,” Ziegler said. “I just wanted to go out and work the walls a little bit and just feel good.”

The top swimmer emerging from the prelims of the men’s 1500m free was North Carolina signee Chip Peterson of Carteret Current, who turned in a time of 15:32.32. He and the rest of the top eight swimmers from tonight’s prelims will return to swim in tomorrow night’s finals.