ROCKPORT — A fire alarm that went off at 1:29 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, at Camden Hills Regional High School quickly drew the response of 15 members of the Rockport Fire Department to the early morning scene.
“When we arrived, alarms were sounding,” according to a post on the Rockport Fire Department Facebook page. “We gained entry and found the building full of smoke, several halls and rooms with water damage, and the charred remains of a fan used for drying the floors.”
Firefighters said that after watching the video from security cameras, it was determined that a blower being used for waxing the floors had malfunctioned and started to burn and activated the sprinkler system and extinguished the fire.
Only the blower sustained fire damage.
“Great work by the sprinkler system and amazing efforts by the school staff to save many rooms and floors,” firefighters said. “Next time you see a janitor, thank them for their work. I'm sure the newly waxed floors looked nice before this happened and we left them to tend to a very large mess.”
Firefighters commended the staff at CHRHS for “their super fast removal of the thousands of gallons of water from the halls, cafeteria and newly resurfaced gym floor.”
Interim Superintendent Shawn Carlson confirmed in a statement Aug. 5 that there was no fire damage to the building or loss of property except to the fan that caught fire.
“There is some water damage but this was minimized due to the quick response of the district’s maintenance and custodial staff," said Carlson.
The incident at was the department’s fifth call between midnight and 5 a.m. in the last two weeks.
“Thank you again to our dedicated volunteers that go to fire alarms, even in the middle of the night, not knowing what will be found when we get there,” the department shared on its Facebook Page.
The department also recognized the Rockport Police Department “for always being there too.”
Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com
Open to all, supported by readers. Become an online member today:
Welcome and thank you for your support.
To manage your account, just hover and click on your name above.
Thanks to our readers and especially our supporters who help to keep PenBayPilot.com an open and accessible community hub.
Your support is even more critical during rapidly changing times, when communication is paramount. While we work hard to keep you informed about the Midcoast community, how citizens cope and thrive, we need your help, too.
We are grateful to those who already participate. If you are not a supporter, please consider becoming one today. Join for as little as $2.99 per month and support local journalism on a community hub that serves everyone.