Western P.E.I. school evacuated after cellphone catches fire
CBC
A school in western P.E.I. had to be evacuated Tuesday morning after a cellphone sitting on a student's desk caught fire in a classroom.
Davis Gallant, deputy chief of the O'Leary Fire Department, said emergency officials were alerted when smoke from the phone started to fill a classroom at Hernewood Intermediate School, near the Mill River Resort.
"Out of precaution, they evacuated the school," said Gallant, adding that teachers concerned about air quality had opened windows before leaving.
"There was no fire, not any smoke, when we arrived on scene. There was a sulphur smell in the air."
The fire department brought a gas meter to check the air quality and kept on ventilating the space. Students were allowed to return to class a short time later.
"Students and staff utilized great judgment and executed their evacuation plan according to previous drills," a Public Schools Branch official said in an email to CBC News.
Gallant said he had a look at the remains of the phone.
"There was something left to it but it was definitely in bad shape," he said. "There was a hole on each side of the phone and it was melted quite bad in that area. The screen was showing some obvious signs of distress."
People should be aware that these kinds of things are possible and difficult to prevent, Gallant said.
It is a good idea to charge phones away from combustible materials when possible, he said, adding: "The biggest thing would be to have working smoke alarms in your home."
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