Va. School Fire Causes Major Disruption, No Injuries

Aug. 31--BRISTOL, Va. -- An electrical fire caused a major disruption at Virginia Middle School Friday, but no students were injured.

Around 1 p.m., the smoke alarm sounded and students and staff evacuated the building. School administrators soon discovered that a fire started in an electrical panel in the basement.

Bristol Virginia Utilities Chief Operating Officer Mark Bundy said a truck was dispatched shortly after the fire was reported and the power was disconnected. He did not believe any other customers were impacted.

City Fire Chief J.C. Bolling said smoke was coming from the electrical panel when the fire department arrived. Firefighters immediately doused the smoke and the fire was contained.

They then conducted a search of the entire building. Bolling said an electrical fire can sometimes spread and firefighters used a special heat-sensing camera to look for hot spots.

The students spent most of the time outside after the fire alarm sounded, but were allowed back inside briefly to collect books and other items. Buses took students home at the normal time.

"It was pretty dark except for the natural light," Schools Superintendent Mark Lineburg said.

He said students evacuated the building in an orderly fashion when the alarm sounded. Schools normally conduct fire drills at the beginning of a school year and many students thought the fire alarm was part of a drill.

"It was an excellent exercise," Lineburg said.

He said school maintenance staff will repair the electrical panel and return power to the school over the long Labor Day weekend.

"[The supervisor] is confident we have several hours of work over the weekend, and he didn't see any reason why we wouldn't be ready to roll on Tuesday," Lineburg said.

Bolling said it appears that the fire was caused by an electrical short.

"Basically, what happened was it utilized aluminum and over time that had some corrosion," he said.

The only injury was a minor bee sting to a student who was waiting outside.

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