On yesterday afternoon, the West Newbury Fire Department was called to Pentucket Regional High School following reports of a fire on the premises. Flames had erupted at the back of the school's auditorium, setting off alarms and prompting a rapid response from local firefighters and mutual aid departments, as reported by Boston25News.
Upon arrival at the scene, crews discovered the fire and with the assistance of a high school teacher and a West Newbury police officer who were conveniently on-site working with the school's robotics team, they quickly took action to douse the flames using a fire extinguisher, after it had been initially extinguished the fire department deployed a fire hose to eliminate any potential hotspots, and they didn't stop at putting out flames they made sure to ventilate the smoke out of the building ensuring a safe environment could be preserved moving forward. During this incident about 20 robotics team students were evacuated from the building, thankfully with no injuries reported by the school or fire department.
Brent Conway, the School Assistant Superintendent, praised the rapid response, saying, “The quick action of the lead teacher and mentors who were working in the building, saved the fire from spreading further,” according to a Boston25News article. The impromptu brigade's actions meant that damage and risk were minimized; however, Conway noted that classes’ resumption at the school remained uncertain, pending assessment.
In a separate report by NBC Boston, the fire department's mutual aid approach brought in additional support from Groveland, Newbury, Merrimac, and Georgetown Fire Departments, as well as Atlantic Ambulance, while Newbury Fire Department took over coverage duties for West Newbury during the incident, highlighting the collaborative effort in managing the emergency, the cause of the fire wasn't immediately clear however, it is believed to be accidental with investigations continuing according to personnel on-site.
As the community sought to regain normalcy in the wake of the blaze, all eyes were directed to the high school's website for updates on the reopening of the middle/high school. "A decision on whether School will be held on Monday at the middle/high school will be determined by Sunday evening. Information will be posted on the school’s website," Conway had previously stated, echoing the need for continued communication as expressed on both NBC Boston and Boston25News.
