MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - One student was taken to the hospital after a small fire broke out in a first-floor bathroom at a Medford middle school Tuesday, officials said.
Crews responded to the fire in the girls restroom at Andrews Middle School just before 10 a.m., prompting all people inside the building to exit, according to the Medford Fire Department.
Medford Public Schools confirmed that all students and staff were safely evacuated to the nearby McGlynn Elementary School.
Medford Fire Chief Todd Evans said the fire alarms went off and the fire doors shut, keeping the flames and smoke contained to the bathroom and hallway outside. The fire was then extinguished.
One seventh-grade girl was taken to a local hospital to get checked out, fire officials said.
An eighth-grade student spoke with 7News about what he saw and heard that morning.
“I was in math class and the fire alarm started beeping, and then we went outside and got evacuated, and then we went to the McGlynn and stayed in the auditorium,” said Tosh Watters.
Max Collins, a sixth-grade student, said the incident happened so fast and that students couldn’t take their belongings with them when they evacuated.
“My phone was in my bag and they didn’t let you take any of your stuff, so I couldn’t text anyone,” Collins said.
Parents were alerted and told they could pick up their children or let them finish the day at the neighboring school. Classes are expected to resume as usual on Wednesday.
“I’m curious as to how there was a fire in the bathroom,” said parent Erin Smyth.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
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