Firefighters from Trail, Montrose, and Fruitvale responded on Friday (May 30) to a structure fire at Fruitvale Elementary School.
The fire was quickly contained due to the prompt response of fire crews, the decisive actions of school staff, and the effective operation of the building's alarm and sprinkler systems.
The emergency call was received at 11:29 a.m., and Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue arrived on scene at 11:44 a.m.
The fire call began when a teacher and student noticed the smell of smoke near the gymnasium.
They immediately activated the school's fire alarm system, initiating a full evacuation.
All students and staff exited the building safely and were accounted for prior to the arrival of the fire department, Captain Ryan Smyth and Deputy Chief Glen Gallamore confirmed in a Friday afternoon media update.
Responding crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the gymnasium and initiated an aggressive interior attack.
The building's sprinkler system activated automatically, helping to slow the spread of the fire and reduce potential damage.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the gym area, preventing further impact to the rest of the school.
The fire was brought under control at 12:47 p.m., and crews remained on scene to conduct overhaul operations and ensure there were no remaining hotspots.
While the gymnasium sustained smoke and fire damage, the remainder of the school was largely unaffected thanks to the rapid and coordinated response.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire under investigation by Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue and is undetermined at this time.
A crew of 12 firefighters from the Trail Station were joined by two firefighters from Montrose and four from Fruitvale.
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Students at Fruitvale Elementary School were evacuated around noon Friday following a report of a fire.
Crews from Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, along with trucks from Montrose and Fruitvale, responded to the scene.
Fruitvale Elementary School, part of the School District No. 20, is located on Columbia Gardens Road.
No further details are available at this time.
More updates to follow.
