An estimated $1 million in damage was sustained to the Academies of Loudoun Tuesday afternoon in Leesburg as the result of a fire which started in a collector bin near the welding room, according to a school official.
According to an incident update from the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, the Fire Marshal's Office determined the fire was accidental. All students were safely evacuated prior to the fire department's arrival, but one firefighter and an adult civilian sustained minor in jury.
At approximately 1 p.m. an individual depressed the pull-station activation at the school. A school resource officer reported heavy smoke in the boiler room and fire units from Leesburg, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Moorefield, Kincora, Philomont, and Sterling, as well as the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Fairfax County, and numerous command officers responded to the scene.
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Arriving units found heavy smoke coming from the rear of the structure and made entry into the building in the area of the welding classroom, and determined the fire was located in the fume extraction system. Fire and rescue crews worked for nearly an hour to fully extinguish the fire. Due to the size of the structure, the Mobile Ventilation Unit was requested to assist in the ventilation of the building.
The investigation determined students had been welding and griding earlier in the day, during which debris or a spark got into the hopper and started a fire.
