Ten Mt. Spokane High School students nearly missed prom – perhaps deservedly – when they got stuck in an elevator.

The group was in the elevator after finishing dinner at Stacks Restaurant at the Steam Plant in downtown Spokane.

Witnesses said the elevator stopped between floors after the students began to jump. The group became a minor spectacle as their entrapment dragged on. They’d been inside the windowed elevator for nearly two hours by the time they were rescued by Spokane firefighters at 9:05 p.m.

Tim Denniston, general manager of the restaurant, said they have never had a problem with the elevator.

“Not in 15 years,” he said.

When the students were rescued, they left quickly to attend what was left of prom, he said.

Spokane Fire Lt. Emmett McNamee said it took about 25 minutes to get them out. Much of that time was spent ensuring the rescue was done safely. Students were assisted through the ceiling of the elevator to the next floor via a ladder.

“They were in good spirits and they were glad to be out of the elevator,” McNamee said.

Staff writer Rachel Alexander contributed to this report.