Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Harrisburg, PA – Sprinkler system contained fire to school bathroom; No injuries reported

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded to a small, contained fire Tuesday morning, in a second floor boys bathroom at Rowland Academy.

According to school district officials, students and staff were quickly evacuated to Scott Elementary School.

The Bureau of Fire said the school’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire.

All staff and students were kept safe, and there is no further damage to the school.

Classes have resumed for the day.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hurley, VA – Laundry fire at elementary school contained with help from sprinkler systems

Students were evacuated out of Hurley Elementary School on Thursday afternoon following a fire that investigators said started in the school’s gym area. Knox Creek Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson Wayne Horne told News 5 that a Buchanan County deputy was able to extinguish a blaze that came from a clothes dryer and where flames were visible. The fire activated the facility’s sprinkler system in the boys’ locker room and gym area, Horne said. Those areas also sustained smoke damage while a collection of toys intended for children were damaged during the incident, the spokesperson said. The students were taken to the nearby high school after being allowed to collect personal items. The fire remains under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wheeling, IL – Fire at high school quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

No cause has been identified in a small fire that led to the evacuation of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Rd., at approximately 1:45 p.m. Friday (Dec. 7).

According to Wheeling Deputy Fire Chief Michael McGreal, the fire was contained to a storage closet near the rear of the school’s woodshop and was related to filters on a spray booth for paint and lacquer. There were no injuries and only minimal damage, with the closet cleaned and ready for use the same day.

McGreal said the school’s sprinkler system activated quickly, dousing the fire before it could become a serious danger. However, as a precaution, students stayed outside for around 20 minutes while fire crews cleared the scene.

“We tried to get the kids in as soon as possible, because it was very cold,” McGreal told the Journal & Topics.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Milton, WA – Boiler room fire at middle school suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Classes and all school-related activities are canceled at Surprise Lake Middle School in Milton on Tuesday after a fire in the boiler-room area damaged one of the school’s buildings.  The school’s sprinkler system quickly kicked in and put the fire out just as parent Raj Sanghera came to pick up her son from soccer practice.

“We heard the fire trucks come in. First there was just one. And then a couple more came. And then we actually started smelling the smoke,” she told KOMO News. “So, a lot of us parents walked over here and we saw the smoke shooting up from the roof.”  A small number of students and staff members had to be evacuated. They were forced to leave their belongings behind.  None of the classrooms here were touched, administrators said. However, there is a smell of smoke in the air. The fire marshal plans to rule the fire as accidental, he said.

“I’m happy that it was after school — that there were very few students inside the school. And nobody got hurt. Everyone’s safe,” Sanghera. said.  “There were no injuries from the fire. And the good thing is the fire suppression system actually worked and put the fire out before it spread too far,” Alfano said. District staff members will meet Tuesday morning to talk about next steps and a plan to let students get any belongings that were left behind. The district’s other schools will be on their regular schedules Tuesday. Ironically, the building where the fire happened at Surprise Lake Middle School was already set to be demolished next June, Alfano said. Voters passed a $176 million bond last February to build new schools and upgrade others, which includes replacing Surprise Lake Middle School. It was built in the early 1970s. Construction on the new building is set to begin in July, Alfano said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

College Hill, OH – Duct fire in air handling system at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; School in session next morning

A College Hill school suffered minor smoke and water damage after a fire Tuesday night.  Crews were called to Pleasant Hill Academy on W. North Bend Road just before 10 p.m. after an air handler reportedly overheated and caught fire.  Officials said the fire was contained and a sprinkler located in the air duct extinguished it.  The flames caused an estimated $15,000 worth of damage.  One classroom had significant fire damage and another had water damage.  No one was hurt.  School will still be in session Wednesday.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Innisfil, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system suppressed fire at secondary school until fire crews arrived; No injuries reported

Innisfil Fire crews were called to Nantyr Shores Seconday School in Alcona on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a report of a fire.

According to Innisfil Fire, a small fire was detected in one of the school’s washrooms.

Officials say the sprinkler went off and it suppressed the fire until crews arrived on scene.

According to a tweet from the Simcoe County District School Board, students from Nantyr Shores Secondary School were evacuated to St. Frances of Assisi Catholic School.

Innisfil Fire says the fire was put out and there were no injuries as a result of the incident.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Vienna, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in high school classroom

A fire in a Madison High School classroom forced the cancellation of a drama performance on Friday, Nov. 9. There were no injuries.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to the fire around 6:49 p.m. Friday. Firefighters arriving on scene found smoke showing from the roof line of the school but found fire sprinklers had put out the blaze in a classroom. The fire was contained to the classroom.

About 125 students and staff had been in the building when the fire occurred. Smoke alarms and sprinklers alerted them to the fire. Most evacuated, while first responders helped others get out safely.

Fire investigators say a malfunctioning kiln left on unattended started the fire. A kiln is an oven for drying ceramics. Damages were estimated to be $3,000.

The school tweeted that the drama performance of “Noises Off” had been cancelled for that day. The play went on as scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 10 and has additional dates on Nov. 16-17 at 7:30 p.m.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wyoming, OH – Fire in high school science classroom activates sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Students at Wyoming High Schools were dismissed early after a small fire broke out in a science classroom last Thursday morning.  In a note to parents, schools officials said the fire started around 9 a.m. and that no one was injured.  The Wyoming Fire Department responded and the fire was extinguished.

The school’s sprinkler system went off, causing wet conditions at the school.  Students were evacuated to the middle school, where they will be dismissed at 11 a.m.  “Students will be reunited with their belongings from the high school as soon as possible,” school officials said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Statesville, NC – Boiler room fire at high school put out by sprinkler system; No injuries and classes not disrupted

A fire that broke out Monday night in a boiler room at Statesville High School did “minimal damage” and will not disrupt classes, school officials said Tuesday.  The school’s sprinkler system put out the blaze shortly after it began around 6:30 p.m., according to a press release from Iredell-Statesville Schools.  The boiler room is in the basement of the Center Street campus. Some staff members were at the school when the fire started but no injuries were reported.  The Statesville Fire Department worked with school maintenance staff to secure the area, ISS said.

Air quality tests showed that the school was safe and classes were held as scheduled Tuesday.  Principal Hans Lassiter said the area “has pretty much been cleaned up. There are remnants of the burned insulation that smelled pretty bad, but that, too, has been neutralized.”  One basement classroom will temporarily be relocated while repairs are made.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Las Vegas, NV – Arson fire in elementary school bathroom put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire was reported Tuesday morning in a Las Vegas elementary school boys’ bathroom, according to a fire official.  Crews responded to John Park Elementary on Franklin Avenue, near Charleston Boulevard and Maryland Parkway, for a fire in an outside playground bathroom, reported just after 8:50 a.m.  The sprinkler was activated and put out the fire. The school was evacuated, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, but no injuries were reported.  The fire was started in a trash can full of paper towels, and it did not spread to anything nearby.