WALDPORT — A trash can fire led to the evacuation of Crestview Heights School on Monday, and residual smoke forced students and teachers to resume the school day in the cafeteria and gymnasium.
The school reported that the fire was found in a trash can shortly after 11 a.m., and staff immediately pulled a fire alarm to evacuate the building. One staff member used a fire extinguisher to put out the small blaze. All students were accounted for in the assembly area outside the school.
Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue arrived and told school staff to turn off the building’s ventilation system to prevent the spread of smoke. Chief Jamie Mason gave the go ahead for students and staff to enter the gym and cafeteria at 11:30 a.m. after determining that those were clean environments.
The school district said school would be held as normal for the rest of Monday with some modifications to allow sharing space with Waldport Middle/High School.
Erich Knudson, the fire department’s public information officer, said the fire was started with paper towels in a bathroom trash can. While staff were keeping kids outside of the main building for the remainder of the day, the smoke was largely cleared out by early afternoon, Knudson said, and he anticipated school would be able to resume in classrooms as normal Tuesday morning.