Students and staff returned to Saratoga Elementary in time for lunch after Lincoln Fire and Rescue extinguished a small fire at the school Thursday morning.
The situation prompted Lincoln Public Schools to employ, for the second time ever, a district plan formalized in 2013 that designates alternative sites for every public school in the city.
The fire was contained to a mechanical room, but caused smoke to fill the area near the school's gym. Students and staff members were evacuated, and fire crews worked with school officials to determine if they could return to the building immediately or needed refuge so they didn't have to wait in the cold outside the school at 13th and South streets.
When the fire was reported at 8:23 a.m., temperatures were in the mid- to upper 20s.
Students were able to get their coats before going outside, where they remained for 15 minutes before being moved to a nearby church, the place designated by the school for such emergencies.
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City Fire Inspector Rick Campos blamed the fire on an electrical problem that happened while workers were upgrading the school's fire alarm system.
An electrical arc caused the fire alarm to go off, Campos said. A worker went to the office to tell administrators it was an accidental alarm, then returned to discover a piece of wire had landed in custodial equipment in the room and started a small fire.Â
"It's most likely a freak thing," Campos said. "The chances of something like this happening is basically like winning the lottery."
Damage was minimal. In the future, workers will make sure to turn off the electrical source before working on it, he said.
He noted that the school district's response gave him confidence that it is prepared in case of a more serious event.
Lincoln schools have always had alternative sites, but those arrangements were formalized in 2013, said district spokeswoman Mindy Burbach. This is the second time since then that LPS has relocated students to an identified site.
Last November, Randolph Elementary students were relocated for several hours due to an electrical problem.
Saratoga officials sent a series of messages to families Thursday letting them know students were safe.
Principal Annette Bushaw thanked fire crews for their work and commended students and staff for how they responded: "We practice these situations so we are prepared when things like this happen, and our staff and students did an amazing job of following our Standard Response Protocols.
"We thank our families for their patience and understanding as we worked together to keep our kids safe."
Students were back in school by 11:15 a.m. and had lunch there.
The pancake feed scheduled for Thursday night at the school was canceled.