March 06--HESPERIA -- School officials evacuated a classroom at Joshua Circle Elementary after construction work caused the wooden structure to catch fire, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
At 1:57 p.m. Tuesday, fire officials were dispatched to the 10100 block of Eighth Avenue for reports of a fire in one of the classrooms in a portable building at the school, spokesman Jay Hausman wrote in the release.
The class was in session at the time of the fire, and school officials evacuated students and teachers before firefighters arrived on scene, the release said.
Multiple agencies from Hesperia, Oak Hills and Victorville assisted in bringing the fire under control within 15 minutes, according to the release.
The fire was found to be burning beneath the classroom floor and did not spread to any adjacent classrooms. Only the one classroom sustained damage and no injuries were reported, said Hausman.
After further investigation, fire officials determined that work crews using hot asphalt near the wooden structure caused it to ignite.
Hausman said in the release that the fire department commended school officials for acting quickly.
Copyright 2013 - Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.
