The
Warrior Post
Issue No. 4
30 March 2012
down What went
BURNING
How did the fire start? Each student in the class has a binder, and on Feb. 23, students put the box of binders near the stove. The burner accidentally got hit and it was turned on. Eventually, the binders caught Photo by Emma Cuppett on fire and the smoke and fire rose to the vents.
down the
HOUSE
Stove fire at school totals up to about $35,000 in damages
How much will the damages cost? About $35,000 will be used to replace everything and clean up the room. What will be replaced? The oven and microwave have to be replaced. Smoke can penetrate plastic very easily, so all the food had to be thrown away, because it was ruined by the smoke. Is there going to be a change in fire policy? No, there were already precautions in place for the room specifically, but since there was a substitute, things were not handled the same way. The police and firefighters commended the students’ ability to responsibly and safely leave the school.
S
tudents evacuated the school. For all they knew, it was just another drill. Smoke exited out of Room 240 and filled the hallways. This was real. Feb. 23, Room 240 caught fire thanks in part to materials left on a warm stove burner. “I smelled burning plastic in the hallway,” Leadership teacher Carolyn Powers said. “Greg McQuitty, an Assistant Principal, and security guards opened up the door and black smoke started pouring out.” Near the fire, a major vent was able to distribute the smoke across the campus. “We smelled smoke in the cafeteria,” freshman Alyssa Jessb said. “The officers were yelling at everybody to leave. Everyone was pretty calm about the situation.” With smoke now in sight, the rest of the school was alerted. Both Security Sergeant Geoff Coffey and Assistant Principal Scott Johnston pulled fire alarms in the school. “I was working in the yearbook room when we smelled smoke, but we just thought that it was some of the food we had,” junior Taylor Julian said. “You can’t hear the fire alarms back there, so we didn’t think much of it until it got smokier. Then, we got really quiet, finally heard it and left.” Now, it was time to deal with the fire itself. Fortunately, no student or teacher was inside the classroom when the room went ablaze. McQuitty, Johnston, technology teacher Craig Coyle and other officers did their best to put it out. They tried using
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fire extinguishers to no avail. However, they were able to contain it until the local fire department arrived. While all this was happening, students were escorted out of the building. “I was in my class with a student,” English teacher Wendy Sexton said. “We heard the bell and I thought it was a student pulling the alarm before going off to lunch. I could tell it was serious when I smelled the smoke. I was waiting outside for 30 to 40 minutes and we couldn’t go back into the building.” Students and faculty, mostly confused, stood outside the building under the sun in an unseasonably warm day. Fire trucks and police cars alike pulled into the parking lot as students tried to make some fun out of the situation. “People were tailgating in the West lot,” junior Melody Asgari said. “Everyone was dancing and blaring music.” As people waited, juniors and seniors pulled into campus from lunch, few of them knowing what was happening. “I came back from going off campus and I thought kids were protesting, so I wanted to protest myself,” senior Megan English said. “But then the firefighter told me it was actually a fire.” Without much hassle, everyone continued to wait and did as they were asked until school was officially dismissed and the situation was taken care of. “I was really impressed by how the students handled themselves,” English teacher Molly Haney said. “Luckily, it was good weather, and we were able to get our things and got home by 2:30.”
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Some students were concerned for the safety of their backpacks and purses, which were abandoned in hallways and classrooms during the evacuation. “I was sitting in the choir room when the alarm went off,” junior Michael Bailey said. “I left everything in the room and couldn’t get it back.” Backpacks and purses in the hallways were delivered to the front office while anything left inside classrooms remained there. All students were able to get their belongings the next day. Principal Marlene Roddy took time to praise the students and teachers for their maturity and cooperation in the entire situation the next morning. “I thought the announcement was a great way to acknowledge the event, share some facts, thank everyone involved in all levels of staff and students, as well as express feedback from the fire department regarding how Martin staff and students handled an expected occurrence,” substitute teacher Karen Ellen Anderson said. Although it came as a surprise, the fire in Room 240 was a showcase to how well students and faculty handle crises. However, changes for this class will likely be made. “We probably won’t be able to cook as much or use the microwaves,” senior Erin Shoemaker said. “The class will be different because the teacher probably won’t be as lenient. We won’t be able to use the cooking supplies for personal reasons anymore, and people won’t be as childish. They will be more serious when we’re cooking.”
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