Waiting for a fresh order of pizzas to arrive, Nancy Clark watched as two West Manatee firefighters tore through the wooden steeple of the Sunshine Academy & Daycare with axes Tuesday afternoon.
"We got out pretty fast," the teacher recalled more than 45 minutes after the smell of smoke forced faculty and children to file out of the church's second-floor classrooms at about 11 a.m. - lunchtime.
Cheese pizzas substituted for Tuesday's macaroni and cheese meal for more than 160 children, who were taken to the school gym where they passed the time singing songs, watching cartoons, coloring and playing games.
Clark and co-worker Zena Williamson, an assistant third- and fourth-grade teacher, said monthly fire drills helped guide them out of the building smoothly.
"We smelled the smoke in the hallway," Williamson said. "We pressed the alarm and walked out. They just thought it was another drill."
A few minutes after the alarm sounded, three West Manatee Fire & Rescue engines arrived at the First Church of God, which houses the Sunshine Academy & Daycare at 2520 43rd St. W.
West Manatee Fire Capt. Ernie Cave said it took about an hour to locate the source of the smoke, which was generated by a floodlight fixture intended to light the rooftop steeple.
Flames began to burst out of the attic as two firefighters tore through the wooden structure. Clark and Williamson looked on, saying the roof had recently been redone and finished Monday. Workers had started to repair another section of the building that morning and took a break to watch the firefighters work.
With assistance from the city of Bradenton Fire Department, firefighters were able to locate the source of the fire and extinguish it. Cave said the smoke entered the attic space and spread throughout the building. Damage was minimal.
Firefighters later turned the building over to the church. Cave said it was safe for the children and faculty to return to school this morning.
He praised the faculty and school children for diligently practicing their monthly fire drills, which aided them Tuesday morning.
"It could have potentially been more dangerous," he said. "They did the right thing."
Day care officials said they planned on calling parents once they were allowed to return to the building.
"I'm glad we caught it," Williamson said. "I think our building will be fine."
Distributed by the Associated Press
