CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Firefighters spent several hours Wednesday morning on scene of Chillicothe Primary School.
They arrived shortly after 5:30 a.m. after a lightning bolt struck the school, causing a small scare.
Firefighters arrived on scene and saw light smoke billowing from the building, which prompted them to climb onto the roof. They had to cut holes inside the rooftop and through the ceilings to find the center of the cause and pinpoint where the issue was.
“At 5:45 a.m., we learned of the fire at Chillicothe Primary School which was caused by lightning,” said Debbie Swinehart, the school’s Superintendent. “Currently, we are assessing the roof and water damage to the building but would like to sincerely thank all the first responders who arrived at the scene. Thankfully, no one was in the building at the time, and we hope to have additional information once the building can be safely inspected.”
After about four hours on scene the situation was contained.
The school called in a restoration company to patch up the roof until repairs can be made.
No students were in session since it is summer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated to include a statement from the school.