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Siren disrupts classes in Salem
SALEM
Salem students were evacuated from the high school Monday morning, then went back into classes while the alarms blared for an hour.
Schools Superintendent Tom Bratten said Monday that the problem stemmed from the district’s replacement of old boilers.
Salem firefighters were called to the high school at 9:43 a.m.
Dave’s Recycling of Girard was operating a gasoline-powered lift in the building. A fuel line broke and leaked gasoline onto the floor.
The fire department stated it appeared that when the fumes reached a flame from a hot-water tank, they ignited. A fire extinguisher was used to put out the fire.
The fire department estimated the damage was $1,000.
The firefighters also told the company that it was not supposed to have gasoline-powered vehicles in the building.
The recycling company was working under a contract with Chevron Corp. Bratten said the contractor “didn’t follow procedure.”
He said Chevron removed the company.
Students and teachers went back into the school at 10:16 a.m. after the school was secure but still had to listen to the blaring warning siren.