Smoke causes evacuation at Cooper Elementary
Firefighters responded to a smoke call at Cooper Elementary last Thursday afternoon which proved to be caused by a faulty HVAC motor.
The building was evacuated while firefighters investigated and no injuries were reported.
Battalion Chief Ronnie Crupper said the smoke in room 405 smelled like electrical smoke and firefighters were able to isolate the heat source to a blower motor using a thermal imaging camera.
“When you smell it, you can tell it’s electrical,” he said.
Crupper said he was glad the building was evacuated when firefighters arrived.
“We want to make sure we’ve got a clear building,” he said.
With people out, he said, firefighters look at potential hazards — in this case, smoke. They also make sure the buildings sprinkler systems are adequately supplied.
Once the smoke’s source was isolated and the overheated motor was disabled, Crupper explained that firefighters opened
windows and set up a fan to ventilate the room and get the smoke out.
Paul Wallace, facilities manager with Bentonville Public Schools, said that he appreciated the department’s quick and effective response.
“Fire department did an excellent job … they did a thorough inspection, as they always do. These kinds of things happen,” he said.
Electrical equipment occasionally overheats and smokes, he said, and it’s not cause for alarm.
In this case the half-horsepower motor — approximately the size of a loaf of bread — had already been ordered and was expected to be replaced Monday, Wallace said.