Students cleared out of Tecumseh school due to fire in gym
'Everyone is safe,' school board says
Students at Tecumseh Vista Academy were forced to evacuate on Wednesday as a result of a fire at the school.
"Everyone is safe," said Anita Gilliam, a spokesperson for the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Gilliam said that at roughly 1:30 p.m., "a small fire was detected in the elementary gym" at the school, which activated the sprinkler system.
"No students or staff were in the gym at the time," she said. "In keeping with our emergency procedures, all students and staff were promptly evacuated, and the Tecumseh Fire Department arrived within minutes."
Gilliam said high school students were sent home at 2:15 pm, and that elementary students were able to return to their classes 15 minutes later. She added that both the school's divisions will be open Thursday.
Tecumseh Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Kavanagh said a ceiling light fixture in the gymnasium was what caught fire, but that the sprinklers contained the flames. Firefighters fully extinguished it when they arrived and ventilated the smoke-filled space.
"Sprinklers did their job," Kavanagh said.