A faulty seal around a heating gasket forced hundreds of Milton L. Fuller Elementary School pupils and staff members to evacuate the building for nearly an hour yesterday morning after teachers reported smoke in the building.
"We were able to isolate the problem quickly," Deputy fire Chief Phil Dench said. "We spent most of the time walking the school with CO (carbon monoxide) detectors to make sure there was nothing in the air."
The evacuation was prompted by a faulty gasket around one of the school's two furnaces, which allowed smoke to escape into the building, Assistant School Superintendent Brian Tarr said.
The problem was corrected before classes ended yesterday and the furnace was back in working order, he added.
The evacuation began shortly after 10:30 a.m. when teachers noticed smoke on the first floor of the building near the gymnasium and music room, according to Fuller Principal Sue Ellen Hogan, who said the smoke condition was similar to fog.
Dench said the school had turned on the heating system for the first time yesterday as temperatures held for most of the day in the mid- to upper 30s.
Students and staff spent nearly 45 minutes outside but many of the children didn't seem to mind as they spent it playing on the nearby athletic field. Dench said he was glad the temperature stayed above freezing.
Hogan said nearly 500 pupils were evacuated as well as 100 preschoolers.
Superintendent Christopher Farmer said he was glad to see that the emergency evacuation worked well yesterday and was pleased with the quick response of police and firefighters.
The school is located off Blackburn Circle on School House Road.
