Columbia Elementary students evacuated after school’s boiler room fills with smoke
Students at Columbia Elementary School were evacuated and the Bellingham Fire Department responded to the school Thursday morning for the report of a possible structure fire and smoke in the boiler room. The smoke was determined to be caused by a failed motor.
Firefighters were called to the school at 2508 Utter Street at 9:02 a.m. Thursday, according to the PulsePoint app.
Emergency radio broadcasts later said there were reports of smoke in the boiler room.
According to an email sent to parents by principal Aaron Darragh, the smoke was found to be from a failed motor.
Once the fire department assessed the situation and determined everything was safe, Darragh said students were allowed to return to class and resume a normal day.
Students were sheltered in external classrooms — also known as “portables” — for approximately 30 minutes during the evacuation, Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson Dana Smith told The Bellingham Herald.
“I am proud of our Columbia students for responding to the evacuation calmly and respectfully,” Darragh wrote in the letter.
Maintenance staff was onsite examining what caused the motor to fail, Darragh said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 10:07 AM.
