Chaos struck Smyrna Middle School yesterday afternoon when two students were accused of igniting a classroom fire that led to a full evacuation of the premises. Rutherford County Schools' officials promptly addressed the situation, ensuring that everyone was safe and followed established safety protocols. According to WSMV, the students brought a lighter to school and set a piece of paper ablaze, which then spread to a shelf of textbooks, causing considerable concern, “Our school resource officer and the school administration investigated thoroughly and identified the students who set the fire,” as per an official statement from RCS.
Despite the potential danger, no injuries were reported thanks to the evacuation measures in place, as students and employees were quickly ushered out of the building, the fire department was promptly on scene to investigate the cause and contain the fire, they moved efficiently much in the same way the students and staff had previously practiced in drills reported Rutherford Source. "The students are going to remain outside until the investigation is complete and the school has been cleared by the fire department," RCS detailed in an announcement following the incident, also indicating that buses would run on their normal schedule while giving parents the option to collect their children early from the school premises, as per WSMV.
School spokesperson James Evans expressed gratitude to the staff and emergency personnel for their swift reaction to safeguard the school’s population. "We thank everyone involved for acting quickly to ensure the safety of our students and employees," he told Rutherford Source. In the aftermath of the fire, the two students responsible for starting the fire will face disciplinary actions consistent with the district's code of conduct, which will be decided after the fire department concludes its investigation into the blaze.
The situation was declared under control, and students were eventually allowed back into the building to resume their day, reinforcing the effectiveness of the school's emergency response and the community's readiness in a time of potential crisis; this, according to NewsChannel 5. The school has since been swept by the fire department, ensuring that everything was for the school day to continue, all students were accounted for, and everything proceeded according to the normal end-of-day routine.
