Elementary school fire confined to boiler room

Elementary school fire
confined to boiler room
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

STEVEN M. BARON East Brunswick firefighters Richard Jewett and Robert Wisniewski (right) hose down debris removed from the boiler room at the Frost Elementary School Tuesday.

EAST BRUNSWICK — A fire in the boiler room at the Frost Elementary School Tuesday afternoon caused school to be canceled there yesterday as officials surveyed the damage.

No one was injured in the fire, which began around 4:40 p.m., according to Lt. Geraldine Garrett, spokeswoman for the East Brunswick Police Department.

The fire was confined to the boiler room, but smoke spread throughout the building.

Garrett said an off-duty police sergeant called to report the fire after a school maintenance worker came running out saying there was a fire in the boiler room.

Police do not suspect arson or consider the fire to be suspicious, but its cause is still under investigation.

"The exact cause has not been determined yet," said Patricia LaDuca, community relations supervisor for East Brunswick schools. "Our hope is that school will be open [Thursday], but it’s a pretty big job."

The school required a great deal of cleanup after the fire, due to soot, water and other remains.

"They’ve got crews in there cleaning like crazy," she said.

When the fire began, there were students from the School Age Child Care program inside the building.

"Our transportation manager helped move them from Frost School to [nearby] Irwin School," LaDuca said. "Everyone was safe and sound and evacuated over to Irwin."

She said parents were notified of the school closing on Tuesday night because the Frost School PTA used its calling chain.

As of yesterday afternoon, officials were still trying to determine the extent of the damage caused by the fire, smoke and water, LaDuca said.

East Brunswick Independent Fire Co. 2 responded and extinguished the fire.

The K-5 Frost School is located on Frost Avenue, off Summerhill Road.