CENTREVILLE — Queen Anne’s County High School students and staff got an unscheduled day off Wednesday to allow for assessment and cleanup of an accidental electrical fire the night before.
According to a Facebook post from Interim Superintendent Matthew Kibler, QACHS will resume normal operations on Thursday, Sept. 11.
The fire was “the result of an unspecified electrical event of a power surge protector,” according to the preliminary report from the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
The fire initially was dispatched as a fire alarm activation, and subsequently upgraded to a building fire.
The fire alarm company was alerted by the system and contacted 911 at about 7:15 p.m. The building custodian also discovered the fire subsequent to the fire alarm activation, according to the fire marshal’s office.
The sprinkler activation extinguished the fire.
About three dozen firefighters responded to the scene and brought the fire under control in 32 minutes, according to a news release from the fire marshal’s office.
Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company, Centreville was the primary responding agency.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
Loss to the structure and contents is estimated to be $30,000, according to the fire marshal’s report.
According to Kibler’s Facebook post and the fire marshal’s preliminary investigation, the fire broke out in a first-floor classroom in the rear of the building.
Fire damage was limited to the room where the fire started.
But there was a lot of water in the back hallway and one classroom, the office and conference room due to the sprinkler system running for about 20 minutes.
“We felt it was necessary to close the building today to take time to assess the situation and prepare the building for students and staff to return,” Kibler wrote in his social media post Wednesday.
Third party contractors were on-site to evaluate and assist, he said.
Kibler thanked first responders, county and state fire marshal’s offices, and local law enforcement for their swift response and support.
He gave a special shout-out to the school’s custodial staff and maintenance department for their hard work in getting the building ready for use.