Thoreau School fire likely started with heating unit: authorities
It was “the only source of any ignition potential” in the area, Fire Chief Brian Whitney told The Acton Bridge.
A Monday night fire at Thoreau Elementary School most likely started with a supplemental heating unit meant to keep sprinkler pipes from freezing, Fire Chief Brian Whitney told The Acton Bridge.
The unit was in an otherwise unheated attic above a classroom, Whitney said.
“The exact cause of the malfunction or failure, we don’t know,” he told The Bridge Thursday, but the unit was “the only source of any ignition potential” in the area.
Investigators ruled out other causes.
Firefighters responded to the Prairie Street school around 9:15 p.m. The fire sent smoke through the building and triggered a sprinkler.
No one was injured and the flames didn’t cause any structural damage, the fire department and school system said in a joint statement.
The fire was contained to two structural bays in the attic. Most of the damage came from the sprinkler system, which Whitney said “did what it was supposed to do” by preventing the flames from spreading further.
The Thoreau school dates to 1951. Crews added a new wing in 1994 and the building underwent a major overhaul in 2006.
This week’s fire affected the 1994 wing — the same section hit by a 2021 blaze.
“There was a similar circumstance maybe five-ish years ago,” Whitney said, but he wasn’t sure if it involved the exact same heating unit.
Thoreau Principal Justin Sparks referred Acton Bridge questions on Thursday to the district’s outside public relations firm.
Sparks told families in a Tuesday afternoon email that the 1994 wing will stay closed for the rest of the school year due to “significant water damage.”
Four teachers had to move their classes to other parts of the building, Sparks wrote, saying that “staff came together incredibly, supporting one another, collaborating on a plan, and then working quickly to put that plan into action.”
The whole school was closed to students Tuesday while workers aired out the building and staff considered what to do next.
“Fortunately, we do have available spaces, and we will be able to continue instruction,” Sparks said.
Students returned to school on Wednesday.
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support, kind words, and offers of help,” Sparks said. “This is a strong and caring community, and it has been on full display.”
