PA Press:Heat lamp causes 2-alarm fire at middle school

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Posted by Desiree on October 23, 2001 at 11:11:26:

Heat lamp causes 2-alarm fire at middle school in Evesham

By Todd McHale
BCT staff writer

EVESHAM - A heat lamp used to keep a pet iguana warm sparked a fire at the DeMasi Middle School shortly after midnight yesterday, fire officials said.

Fire officials said the school suffered moderate smoke and water damage, with the worst damage occurring in the assistant principal's office.

Township Fire Chief Ted Lowden said school district personnel were on the scene early yesterday cleaning up, and he expected the school to be open for classes today.

Evesham Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the middle school on Evesboro-Medford Road at about 12:01 a.m. When firefighters arrived three minutes later, they found heavy smoke billowing from the building.

Due to the volume of smoke and the size of the structure, fire officials upgraded the blaze to a two-alarm fire, and Mount Laurel and Medford fire units responded, Lowden said.

After breaking into the locked school, firefighters located the fire in an assistant principal's office.

Capt. David Knott of Evesham Fire and Rescue said the fire activated the sprinklers, which helped in stopping the blaze from spreading any further.

"We're delighted of the forethought of school officials to have sprinklers installed, because this could have been a lot worse," Lowden said.

The fire was placed under control about 35 minutes after firefighters arrived at the school. No injuries were reported.

The township fire marshal's office determined that the fire began on a credenza in the assistant principal's office and was caused by the heat lamp, Knott said.

The heat lamp, which works on a timer, was accidentally left on and stayed lit for about 18 hours before sparking the fire, Knott said.

"Fortunately, the iguana had been taken to a veterinarian, because it wasn't eating," Knott said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived."

Monday, October 22, 2001

Heat lamp causes 2-alarm fire at middle school in

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: Heat lamp causes 2-alarm fire at middle school in Evesham : By Todd McHale : BCT staff writer : : EVESHAM - A heat lamp used to keep a pet iguana warm sparked a fire at the DeMasi Middle School shortly after midnight yesterday, fire officials said. : Fire officials said the school suffered moderate smoke and water damage, with the worst damage occurring in the assistant principal's office. : Township Fire Chief Ted Lowden said school district personnel were on the scene early yesterday cleaning up, and he expected the school to be open for classes today. : Evesham Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the middle school on Evesboro-Medford Road at about 12:01 a.m. When firefighters arrived three minutes later, they found heavy smoke billowing from the building. : Due to the volume of smoke and the size of the structure, fire officials upgraded the blaze to a two-alarm fire, and Mount Laurel and Medford fire units responded, Lowden said. : After breaking into the locked school, firefighters located the fire in an assistant principal's office. : Capt. David Knott of Evesham Fire and Rescue said the fire activated the sprinklers, which helped in stopping the blaze from spreading any further. : "We're delighted of the forethought of school officials to have sprinklers installed, because this could have been a lot worse," Lowden said. : The fire was placed under control about 35 minutes after firefighters arrived at the school. No injuries were reported. : The township fire marshal's office determined that the fire began on a credenza in the assistant principal's office and was caused by the heat lamp, Knott said. : The heat lamp, which works on a timer, was accidentally left on and stayed lit for about 18 hours before sparking the fire, Knott said. : "Fortunately, the iguana had been taken to a veterinarian, because it wasn't eating," Knott said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived." : Monday, October 22, 2001

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