Habersham Central High School was evacuated this afternoon after a smoke/fire alarm went off in one of the buildings. The call came in through the school’s alarm monitoring company, according to Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black.
When firefighters arrived, Black says they discovered that a fire had occurred in a clothes dryer in a special education room. “The school was evacuated and our personnel checked for fire extension and removed smoke from the immediate area,” he says.
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper was at the school when the incident occurred. He says the fire did not last long and did not cause any damage to the building.
“Students and teachers exited the building after the fire alarm went off. The fire department responded to ensure that that the building was safe for students and staff. After some inspection by the fire department and the Habersham County School System maintenance department, it was determined that it was safe for students to return to the building,” Cooper says.
Cooper adds he is pleased with how well the administration, teachers, and students at Habersham Central handled the situation.
“It was evident that the team at Habersham Central had prepared for such an event by having successful fire drills throughout the school year,” Cooper says.
Firefighters were on the scene for approximately an hour. Superintendent Cooper says the dryer will be replaced as a precaution.
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