Smoke smell at school results in evacuation
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on September 30, 2016 9:57 AM
Students were evacuated to the gym at Eastern Wayne Middle School Thursday morning after people inside the building thought they smelled smoke following a lightning strike, officials said.
Around 10 a.m., the Goldsboro Fire Department responded to a call about a smoke smell in the two-story section of Eastern Wayne. The smell reportedly originated in the computer lab classroom, leading school faculty to move students to the gym as a precaution.
Goldsboro Fire Department assistant chief Eric Lancaster said the smell was the result of a lightning strike which hit an HV/AC unit on top of the building.
"The lightning hit a heating strip, which caused it to switch on the heating and burn dust inside the unit," he said. "So the smoke smell was just dust."
By around 10 a.m., fire department officials had decided it was safe enough to let students return to the classrooms.
Ken Derksen, public information officer for Wayne County Public Schools, said that everyone involved had performed admirably.
"The teachers moved the kids to the gym. They did exactly what they were supposed to do," he said. "We're very fortunate that we have the fire department right across the street here."