Massachusetts school closed after weekend fire in classroom, officials say

A school in Fairhaven remained closed on Monday after a fire in a classroom over the weekend, school and fire officials said.

East Fairhaven School will be closed to all students and staff on Monday to assess next steps and to ensure a thorough cleaning of any smoke damage, Superintendent of Schools Tara Kohler said in a statement on Monday.

Firefighters responded to the school at 2 New Boston Road after receiving a box alarm notification around 7:25 p.m. Sunday, fire officials said in a statement.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke and heat detectors going off on the second floor, in rooms 232 and 240.

Firefighters found a fire on the exterior wall of room 232 and were able to extinguish it with a water extinguisher. The sprinkler system did not activate, and the area of origin did not require any additional overhaul, fire officials said.

The box had been struck for a working fire; however, no additional resources were requested to the scene.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire was likely caused by a dual blade window fan that had been plugged into an outlet on that exterior wall, officials said. The town's Electrical Inspector responded to ensure electricity to the outlet was off and no further electrical hazards were present.

Firefighters remained on scene Sunday due to the" smoke condition on the second floor requiring prolonged ventilation," officials said.

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