Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

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.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Issaquah, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at elementary school; No injuries reported

A small fire at Issaquah’s Challenger Elementary school has forced the evacuation of students to another school.

The fire broke out in a garbage can in a bathroom around 1:30 p.m., according to Sgt. Ryan Abbott with the King County Sheriff’s Office. The flames set off the sprinkler system, causing some water damage, plus quite a bit of smoke filled the school, Abbott said.

A 5-year-old child was checked out for smoke inhalation, but was determined to be fine, Abbott said.

Meanwhile, all students were reported safe and have been moved to the gym at nearby Beaver Lake Middle School. School buses will pick up the children there, and parents can also pick up their kids from Beaver Lake.

There is no word yet what started the fire. Police warn there are road closures near the school at 25200 Klahanie Blvd. SE.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fresno, CA – Arson fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Fresno Fire Department is asking for help Tuesday identifying whoever set fire to a Fresno elementary school classroom on Saturday night.

Around 7:45 p.m., a fire burned inside a classroom of Edith B. Storey Elementary School at 5250 E. Church Avenue.

The fire caused major fire and smoke damage.

The sprinkler system helped extinguish the fire, but it caused water damage to the classroom and to the teacher’s supplies and books.

The suspect(s) used an object to smash a small window on the door of the classroom and made entry into the classroom, the Fire Department said. While inside the classroom the suspect(s) set multiple fires that caused the damage.

The fire Saturday was the second arson fire at the location within 24 hours, the Fire Department said.

Anyone with information should call the Fire Department Arson Hotline at 559-621-2776.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chicago, IL – No injuries after sprinkler system puts out fire in CPS elementary school gymnasium

A flash fire damaged a Chicago public school this weekend on the North Side, just two weeks before the first day of class. The fire broke out in the third-floor gym of Burley Elementary School, 1630 W. Barry Ave., on Saturday in the Lakeview neighborhood. In an email to parents, the principal of Burley said, “We are still unsure of exactly what and how it happened, but what I do know is that no one was on that floor when it happened and no one was injured.”

The sprinkler system put out the fire but also caused collateral water damage throughout building. Families and staff pitched in Monday to paint and do a number of projects. Portable generators, makeshift ventilation and restoration teams are racing against the clock. The principal gave credit to firefighters and CPS for efforts in the past two days, but CPS is caught in a time crunch.

CPS is left unable to answer how long cleanup will take, or if school will begin on time on Sept. 4 at Burley and if there are safety issues surrounding not only the water damage, but how the fire began with no one in that area.  The principal asked parents to “please be patient with me as we let the experts do what they are best at and know that Burley is in great hands.”

In a statement, CPS said that it anticipates the school will be repaired for the first day but is creating a contingency plan. They said they’re waiting on investigators to determine how the fire began.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Eunice, LA – Sprinkler system activates to help control classroom fire at elementary school

Officials with the St. Landry Parish School Board have announced that Eunice Elementary will be closed tomorrow Wednesday, August 15 due to this morning’s fire.  The school board says that safety assessment procedures will be ongoing tomorrow at the school. All 12-month employees will be required to report to work and the principal will contact staff members to let them know when or if they should report to work on Wednesday.  The closure only affects Eunice Elementary. All other schools will report as normal tomorrow.

Officials say the cause of this morning’s fire at Eunice Elementary School is still under investigation. The fire caused the school to be closed on Tuesday to all students and teachers. The school board noted that all 12-month employees should report to work as usual today.  One custodian was in the school at the time of the fire and noticed flames coming from the classroom. That individual was able to exit the building safely.  One classroom and a majority of the supplies inside are a complete loss, according to Principal Mary Dupre.  Flooding caused by the sprinkler system has also damaged the building where the fire took place.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Providence, RI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling elementary classroom fire

A classroom at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School on Wickenden Street sustained major damage in a fire Wednesday morning, officials said.  Providence fire officials said no civilians or firefighters were hurt in the blaze, which came in at about 9:35 a.m. Five staff members were in the building, but were unharmed, fire officials said.  The fire, which is not considered suspicious, took about 45 minutes to get under control, according to fire officials. The sprinkler system was going off in the room when firefighters arrived.  The classroom where the fire took place was badly damaged, and other rooms had some smoke and water damage, according to fire officials.  School district administrators have told fire officials that the incident shouldn’t affect the start of the school year.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Meridian, ID – (no media coverage) Single sprinkler puts out fire in high school gym caused by combustion of oily rags

<No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported> A single sprinkler head extinguished a fire in the Rocky Mountain High School gym late on the night of July 28th. The fire, caused by improperly discarded oily rags from a gym floor refinishing project, activated the sprinkler and alarm system. Meridian Fire Department responded, and found smoke in the entryway of the gym. They were able to stop the water flow and prevent substantial water damage to the newly-refinished gym floor. “The sprinkler did its job,” reported Joe Bongiorno, Meridian Fire Dept. Fire Marshal. “A single head put the fire out.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Suquamish, WA – Sprinkler system keeps arson fire in check at elementary school; No injuries reported

 North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews responded to a fire at Squamish Elementary School at 11:51 p.m. Wednesday night that officials say was the result of someone setting a couch on fire just outside the school.

Squamish Elementary School is part of the North Kitsap School district and is located at 8950 Park Blvd NE, Suquamish, WA 98392.

Arriving firefighter crews found heavy smoke at the scene, water flowing from the sprinkler system, but no flames. 

“About 100 square feet of the building’s exterior finish was blackened. School officials believe that the couch, which was destroyed in the incident, was dumped by unknown person(s) in or near the building’s dumpster,” North Kitsap Fire & Rescue said in a news release. 

A fire investigation of the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene and determined the fire was intentionally set. 

Officials say no firefighters or civilians were injured in the fire. 

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Deputy Fire Marshal Ken Rice at (360) 337-5777.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

New Caney, TX – Sprinkler system contained fire at school to one classroom; No injuries reported

Summer activities at a New Caney ISD school will be delayed Friday after an overnight fire.

Just before midnight, emergency crews were dispatched to Porter High School in regards to an alarm call.

Upon arrival, firefighters say the sprinkler system had contained the fire in a cosmetology classroom but there was still heavy smoke inside the building.

First responders even arrived with an airboat to assist in getting the smoke out.

There are a couple of events, including band practice that will be delayed.

The school year’s starting date was not affected. The first day of school is August 20.

According to authorities, no one was hurt during the fire.