LIMA — Thanks to the watchful eye of a Shawnee Alliance Church congregant, firefighters were able to contain a fire at Elmwood Elementary School on Sunday.
At 12:43 p.m. the Shawnee Township Fire Department was alerted that flames could be seen at the back of the school, discovering upon arrival that the fire was on the exterior of the building outside the kitchen area. American Electric Power was called to disconnect the electricity in the building because electrical arcing was visible in the area of the fire.
“We didn’t want it getting anywhere else in the building,” Platoon Chief John Norris said.
Crews from Shawnee Township, Lima, American Township and Cridersville Fire Departments were able to quickly contain the fire, with the fire extinguished at 1:33 p.m. The fire did extend into the overhang on the outside of the building but did not spread to the inside.
“A little smoke got inside, but I don’t anticipate it caused a lot of damage,” he said.
Norris estimated building damage to be at least $20,000. No one was in the school at the time of the fire, and the investigation into its cause is ongoing.
