Robotics team puts out fire in middle high school classroom

A West Newbury middle school robotics team is credited with extinguishing a fire in a classroom on Saturday. The school will be closed for two days amid health and safety inspections, officials said.

A small fire started in a Pentucket Regional Middle High School classroom in the afternoon and students and faculty members of the robotics team, working in a nearby classroom at the time, located and used the fire extinguisher until first responders arrived, according to a statement from the school.

“We are incredibly grateful to our robotics team and their mentors for their quick thinking and bravery,” said Principal Brenda Erhardt in the statement. “Their dedication to safety and preparedness truly paid off in a critical moment.”

No injuries were reported, though the auditorium and nearby cafeteria sustained smoke damage.

Early investigations suggested that the fire started in a trash can used to throw out sawdust from stage work earlier that day. Officials said the sawdust likely smoldered for some time before igniting.

Inspections and cleanups started Saturday evening but the school said additional work was needed before continuing normal operations. To keep students and faculty safe, Pentucket Regional Middle High School announced school will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

Families will receive an update Monday about the status of reopening.

“We deeply appreciate the professionalism and dedication of our local first responders and their unwavering commitment to keeping our community safe,” said Superintendent Justin Bartholomew in the statement.

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