On Jan 16, 2024, a month after Stroudsburg High School was evacuated due to a fire in the Boys’ Bathroom, firetrucks were dispersed again to SHS.
According to the Stroudsburg Fire Department’s Facebook page, SHS had a contained fire within a heating unit on the second floor of the building. On the scene were both Stroud Township and East Stroudsburg Fire Departments.
The fire department was notified due to the automatic fire alarm in the building. Upon entering the building, smoke led the fire officials to the second floor.
It was then determined that the fire was contained to the heating unit and they began to ventilate the building. After inspection, the Stroudsburg Area School District’s maintenance department will take over repairs.
The hallway fills with smoke as fire officials find the source of the fire. Credits: Stroud Fire Department’s Facebook.
Luckily, no students were in the building due to weather conditions, and only minor damages were sustained to the building.
“I’m thankful no one was hurt in either incident,” says Jackson Fleming, 12.
Around 4 P.M., Mr. Jeffery Sodl sent an email out to students about the incident, ensuring students that the building was “all clear to occupy” for school the next day.
Sodl also confirmed that this fire had nothing to do with the fire that occurred a month prior on Dec 15, 2023.
“Im so glad we didn’t have to come to school, even after the last fire we would’ve been so unprepared”, says Zoe-Marie Brown, 12.
“It’s crazy how I have gone almost all of high school without a real fire, and then in senior year, there’s two in a month,” says Fleming.
Many think that because of the way schools today are built, mainly of brick and other non-flammable material, fires within the building would be a rarity, but according to NFPA.org, “In 2014–2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 3,230 structure fires in schools each year.”
NFPA.org also states that intentional fires, like the incident Dec 15, make up 43% of total fires on school properties and 60% of civilian injuries.
To learn more about fire safety in schools visit: education.pa.gov!