WESTPORT — A fire that erupted in the auditorium wall of Long Lots Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon was extinguished quickly thanks to the swift response by a police officer and firefighters.
The incident was reported about noon Wednesday when a police officer on duty at Long Lots detected the odor of smoke in the auditorium and pulled a fire alarm, according to the report by Assistant Fire Chief Jeffery Gootman.
Officers were assigned to all of the town’s schools Wednesday as a precaution in the aftermath of Tuesday’s mass shooting at a school in Texas that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
The alarm prompted evacuation of the Hyde Lane building, while four fire engines, a ladder truck, the safety officer and the fire shift commander were dispatched to the scene.
The police officer used a fire extinguisher to douse the visible flames, followed by firefighters arriving at the school who opened up the wall to put out the fire still burning within.
No injuries to students or school staff were reported.
The “small” fire was contained to the wall area, according to the report, and an investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office determined the incident was caused by an electrical short.
Long Lots, which was built in 1953, is “aging out,” according to a study recently commissioned by the school district.
School officials are currently reviewing whether to renovate or replace the school.
The school was re-occupied shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, but out of “an abundance of caution” students were dismissed at 1:15 p.m., the fire report said.
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