Fire in bathroom at North Augusta High School injures school employee

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – According to North Augusta Department of Public Safety, a fire in a bathroom at North Augusta High School has resulted in injuries for a staff member.

All students, according to law enforcement, were evacuated from the school.

Emergency services were enroute to the school around 2 p.m., according to North Augusta Department of Public Safety.

Images are being sent to WJBF of evacuated students waiting on the school’s sports fields and outdoor bleachers for the all-clear to be given.

Staff members were able to successfully extinguish the fire, but the all-clear has yet to be given. No students were injured in the incident, according to NADPS.

North Augusta High School Principal John Murphy released the following statement.

It is always our intention to notify you whenever we have a disruption to the normal school day, which is the reason for my call.

There was a fire this afternoon in a trash can in a student restroom on the North Augusta High School campus. This situation is still under investigation and it is believed that a student started the fire. An administrator acted quickly and put out the fire, suffering minor burns in the process. 

As part of our safety protocols, all students and employees evacuated to the exterior of our campus while the fire was extinguished and attempts were made to remove smoke from the building. North Augusta Department of Public Safety assisted the school with the fire and cleanup.  

Once the school was cleared to reopen by NADPS, students were allowed to report back to class, except in the math and world languages wings, due to the smell of smoke.  Students in math and world languages classrooms were housed in the gymnasium for the remainder of the day. We are working to remove the smell of smoke from affected hallways so that classes may be held in the math and world languages wings as normal tomorrow morning.

Situations of this nature threaten the sense of safety and security necessary for effective teaching and learning. The student or students responsible will face disciplinary consequences accordingly. We regret the concern that this incident may have caused our students, staff and families, and are committed to ensuring the safety of our campus. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support of North Augusta High School.