Emergency crews are on scene of a fire that broke out at Mt. Juliet Elementary school Monday.
Police said the fire is isolated to one classroom. It’s since been extinguished by the sprinkler system and firefighters.
There have been no reported injuries and Monday is a remote day for students.
Crews remain on the scene investigating.
Around 6 p.m. emergency crews were called to an alarm at the school at 1611 Ave. C. When they arrived there was smoke inside the building.
The investigation revealed a paper towel dispenser had been set on fire in a boys’ bathroom inside the school, said a Kearney Police Department news release.
A sprinkler head in the bathroom contained the fire, said fire Capt. John Sydow. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire.
Sydow estimated the bathroom sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. The fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire didn’t interrupt any classes Wednesday at Bryant.
Damage to the former school, now a residential apartment building called Laurel Flats, was limited to the door itself and did not spread, Fire Chief Scott Busenbark said.
“It just damaged the door that was leaning on it,” Busenbark said. “We had Station 1 and Station 2 on the scene … an alarm like that always gets a full response.”
The fire threatened the gymnasium section of the 110-year-old building, which was added as an expansion to the original building in 1941.
No injuries were reported and the entryway suffered only minor damage due to the sprinkler system.
“It put it out on its own,” Busenbark said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Officers from the Crawfordsville Police Department assisted at the scene.
Crews responded to a fire alarm that activated overnight at Fallston Middle School.
At just after 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, crews from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company were dispatched to the school, which is located at 2303 Carrs Mill Road, for an automatic fire alarm activation.
Upon entering the area indicated on the alarm panel, firefighters found a single automatic sprinkler had activated and there was light smoke in the room, which was a staff lounge area that also contained IT servers.
An electric floor fan had been placed in the room to maintain air flow to assist in cooling the room. The fan malfunctioned and ignited directly below a sprinkler head, which activated extinguishing the fire and activating the fire alarm, thereby limiting the damage to the school building.
The fire was extinguished and the scene was cleared by 5:30 a.m.
No injuries were reported.
12:06 AM: Firefighters are describing this as a “dumpster fire” and dismissing some of the units.
12:11 AM: Fire is reported “tapped” (out); next job, to turn off the automatic sprinklers.
12:40 AM: The cause is under investigation. We’ll follow up with SFD and the district later today.
3:09 PM: From SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo: “Crews confirmed it was a dumpster fire next to the school building. The building’s sprinklers were able to contain the fire while our firefighters fully extinguished it. No injuries reported. Our fire investigators were not dispatched to this scene as they responded to another fire that occurred at the same time” (in North Seattle).
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether others were involved, Lt. Earl Smith said.
The call began as a burglar alarm early Wednesday. Smith said officers found evidence of forced entry and fire inside the building. Since they didn’t know if suspects were inside, law enforcement provided cover to fire crews as they battled the blaze.
South Kitsap Fire and Rescue was aided by fire crews from Bremerton, Central Kitsap and Navy Region Northwest and officers from the Port Orchard Police Department, SKFR said in a post on social media. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also has taken part in the investigation.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries,” said Amy Miller, spokeswoman for South Kitsap School District.
Smith said damage to the building was “significant.” A photo posted on social media by the sheriff’s office shows scores of ceiling tiles on the floor near the school’s entryway. South Kitsap Fire & Rescue reported that the fire was contained to the room of origin by the sprinkler system.
The school has been closed since March 16 along with all other schools in Washington state to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Detectives arrested the suspect with the help of a K-9 tracking team shortly before noon on suspicion of first degree arson and second degree burglary. He was interviewed Wednesday afternoon at the Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center regarding whether he had accomplices, Smith said.
As the crew from Truck 1 was arriving on scene, Pennington County 9-1-1 dispatch advised that a caller was reporting an active fire in the kitchen. A full first alarm was called that included additional units from Station 1 as well as Stations 3 and 7.
When Truck 1 was inside, they found that there had been a fire on the stove in the kitchen. The fire had been extinguished by the commercial hood system as well as a single sprinkler head from the fire sprinkler system.
The full first alarm system was canceled while Truck 1 remained on-scene.
The building was occupied at the time of the fire by Rapid City Area Schools personnel that were making and distributing lunches. The Rapid City Community Health Office was also open and operating during the time of the fire. No injuries were reported and occupants safely and quickly evacuated.
The fire was contained to the stove area while smoke was quickly cleared by firefighters who also assisted with the clean-up of water from the sprinkler system, and was determined to be an accident by an investigator from the Rapid City Fire Department.
Boxes being used for lunch distribution by the stove caught fire and were quickly extinguished by the sprinkler and hood systems. The fire shouldn’t negatively impact ongoing lunch distribution.
“The sprinkler system did exactly what it was designed to do”, said Lt. Brian Staton with the Rapid City Fire Department’s Fire and Life Safety Division. “Only the number of heads needed to put the fire out were activated. Instead of dealing with a big fire, we’re squeegeeing up water”.
The Rapid City Fire Department wants to remind everyone that it advocates for fire sprinkler protection, especially with large, public buildings.
York Fire and Life Safety crews were called to the school complex around 3:45 p.m. Arriving units found heavy smoke and fire in an equipment room. The initial fire was controlled by the sprinkler system.
Regular classes had dismissed for the day at that point, and all students and other personnel who were there for after-school activities got out safely.
If your kids were there for after-school activities, you can pick them up at the nearby Amory Funeral Home, located at 410 Grafton Drive. All remaining activities at the schools for the day are canceled.
As a result of the fire, Grafton Middle and High Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 4, and Wednesday, February 5. All after-school activities on those days are also canceled.
School employees will receive a communication from their building principals regarding staff schedules.
A plan is being worked on for students and staff to reclaim any personal possessions left on campus.
Firefighters are looking into the cause of a fire that broke out in a classroom Christmas Day.
Firefighters respond to a classroom fire at Horace Mann Elementary School in Huntington.
The flames sparked Wednesday morning at Horace Mann Elementary School on Waterworks Road.
Huntington Fire Chief Tony Johnson told our journalist on the scene that the flames were contained to one classroom. The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire from spreading. However, there is significant water and smoke damage to the classroom.
Due to the holiday break, there were no students or teachers in the building at the time.
At 3:47 a.m. Thursday morning, firefighters responded to Manatee Elementary School, 1609 Sixth Ave. E and worked to extinguish a fire that was determined to be electrical in nature.
According to the Bradenton Fire Department, firefighters arrived to find no visible flames, but after going into the school they detected smoke. Firefighters saw the school’s sprinkler system had been activated in the school office area where heavy smoke was detected.
Using thermal imaging, firefighters were able to determine the fire started from electrical wiring and the sprinkler system had already put out the flames.
