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PHILIPPI – Students were evacuated from Philippi Elementary School Monday morning due to what was originally believed to be smoke in the school, officials said.
Barbour County Schools Superintendent Eddie Vincent told The Inter-Mountain Monday afternoon that the issue “really wasn’t smoke,” but rather a smell. Vincent likened the incident to turning a furnace on in the winter that has not been on in a while, which causes a burning smell. He added that students were evacuated as a precaution and windows were opened to ventilate the building.
“It was just a heat unit that had some issues that we’ve already fixed,” Vincent told The Inter-Mountain. “We sent a call out to everyone, too, here that everything was fine, because any time the ambulance or fire truck or police comes to a school, there’s panic, but we got kids out just as precautionary.”
The superintendent explained that the school’s maintenance department quickly examined the heating unit, as did firefighters and deputies. Vincent commended the Philippi Fire Department and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office for doing a “great job” eliminating any situation that “could have gotten worse.”
When asked if classes continued after the heating unit was fixed, Vincent said yes, stating that the students had been evacuated like a fire drill.
“I think the school did a great job getting kids out,” Vincent said. “We didn’t know what the situation was, but once we pinpointed where it was, we fixed it and it was back to normal.”
At 9:20 a.m. on Monday, Barbour County Schools put out a social media post regarding a fire alarm activation at Philippi Elementary School that led to an evacuation of students and a response from the Philippi Fire Department and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office.
“We want to reassure our families and community that everything is OK at Philippi Elementary School,” the post stated. “The fire alarm was activated after a wall heater in the kindergarten hallway began producing smoke due to accumulated dust. The situation has been identified, and there is no cause for concern.
“The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we ensure a safe learning environment for everyone.”