CAMANCHE, Iowa – Fire officials say that they responded to a fire today inside the auto shop department at Camanche High School.
The call came just before 11:30 A.M. on March 22, when the air handling system overheated, and the filtration system inside caught fire.
Upon arrival, fire fighters found heavy smoke confined to the plasma cutting room inside the school’s auto shop. They say the actual fire had burned itself out before they arrived on the scene.
The damage is estimated at $1,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the air handling equipment. The school was insured.
The department spent about 35 minutes at the school. They used positive pressure ventilation to clear the building of smoke and worked on smoke detectors.
The school’s students and staff evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Classes then resumed after the building was determined to be safe.
