SFD Responds to Electrical Fire at Chapel School

At 6 p.m. Monday the 911 center received a 911 call and subsequent automatic fire alarm from Chapel Street Elementary School located at 3 Chapel St. in the town's North End.

Operators of the ABC aftercare program who were working at the school were alerted by a parent that a light fixture hanging from the cathedral ceiling in the schools all-purpose room was on fire.

The school was evacuated and upon arrival firefighters found a moderate smoke condition in the affected area and a pile of melted plastic on the gym floor. Firefighters used water extinguishers to extinguish the remains of the light fixture. Firefighters used high volume smoke ejectors to remove the remaining smoke from structure.

There were no reported injuries of civilians or firefighters. The town's fire marshal Deputy Chief Brian Lampart was summoned to the scene to investigate the cause of the late-day electrical fire.

The cause was determined to be caused by a malfunctioning fluorescent light fixture. As a future precaution Deputy Chief Lampart will be ordering the school district to replace the remaining light fixtures with a different model unit.

Four engines, one ladder, the assistant chief/shift commander and two deputy chiefs responded to the incident for a total of 25 personnel. The emergency call was dispatched at 6 p.m., the first arriving apparatus arrived at 6:03 p.m., the fire was under control at 6:15 p.m., and the last fire unit cleared the scene at 7:03 p.m. The school was expected to open on Tuesday at the normal time.

This press release was prepared by Deputy Chief of Operations Jon Gottfried of the Stratford Fire Department.