Ephrata Middle School portable burns, no injuries
A portable building with two classrooms in it has smoke rolling out of it while firefighters work to put out a blaze that began in the building’s attic on Friday. Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said the fire was caused by a malfunctioning air handler.
COURTESY PHOTO/EPHRATA SCHOOLS
EPHRATA — A portable at the Ephrata Middle School suffered a fire in its attic Friday morning, according to Ephrata School District Public Information Officer Sarah Morford.
Students and staff sheltered in place, continuing the school day, as the fire burned in an empty portable. No students, faculty or staff were injured as a result of the fire, she said. The portable was empty at the time the fire started.
Ephrata Fire Department Chief Jeremy Burns said it appeared as though the air handling unit, part of the building’s environmental control system, on the east side of the building had malfunctioned, causing the fire.
Burns said none of the firefighters responding to the fire were injured either.
The district has not decided what will happen with the portable since the fire, Morford said. They are waiting to hear back from the district’s insurance company to determine whether the portable will be repaired, replaced or eliminated.
“We’ve not made any decisions about what is going to happen moving forward,” she said.