Electrical malfunction blamed for school fire

COLONIE — An electrical malfunction below the auditorium stage caused the April 1 fire that forced the closure of a building for Boght Hills Elementary School students in kindergarten through third grade, school officials said Friday.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which North Colonie Central School District officials said began after an armor cable below the stage became heated.

The district’s website said the building on Dunsbach Ferry Road, built in 1955, had undergone no recent work and its duct system had not been used in recent years.

Electric wiring and plumbing associated with a boiler system heating was routed under the stage floor to radiators in a hallway outside the auditorium. There had been no known problems with the heating or the electrical systems, officials said.

Fire officials found no signs of an accellerant, the district said.