LUNENBURG, Mass. —
The first day back from summer break for one Massachusetts school packed a little more excitement than students and teachers probably expected on Tuesday.
Lunenburg Middle/High School was evacuated late Tuesday morning after a fire broke out on the building’s roof solar panels just after 11 a.m. Police said there were no injuries.
"It was like black smoke coming from the back over here," said senior Kyla Toberos.
From Sky5, several firefighters were seen on the building’s roof, which is covered in solar panels. Damage to at least five panels was visible.
"We all thought it was a drill and then we come outside, we take attendance with our classes, we have our meeting spots and then all of a sudden, we see black smoke billowing out of the back of the building, and we hear sirens and see the fire trucks which is not the case for drills," said senior Tatum Furman.
The students were evacuated and dismissed early.
"I only had three classes today because of that, so I guess I didn’t get to experience much of my first day," said Toberos.
"This is the first day of senior year and the school’s on fire," said senior Paige Daly.
It took firefighters about 15-20 minutes to put out the fire. They had to use dry chemical extinguishers to put it out because water cannot be used for solar panel fires.
"(The) challenge with solar panels always is you can shut off the feed into the building, but the solar panels are always giving off electricity if the suns hitting it," said Lunenburg Fire Chief Patrick Sullivan.
Other than the damaged solar panels, there was some minor damage to the roof of the school's weight room, which was empty at the time. A building and electrical inspector will inspect the structure.
The incident is under investigation.
"It’s under investigation, but it’s probably an electrical malfunction from wear and tear, a short circuit," Sullivan said.
Classes are expected to resume Wednesday.
"I am so grateful that no one was injured," said Superintendent of Schools Jodi Fortuna. "It was such a well-run event by our school staff and our school administration."