Close call at Lakeland High School

A fire that broke out after 2 p.m. Wednesday on the roof of Lakeland High School was likely caused by a mechanical equipment failure.

Some staff members were in the building when the fire occurred, but no injuries were reported.

Maintenance crews were alerted when teachers smelled smoke. They saw signs of a fire and immediately called emergency responders, who were able to extinguish it quickly.

“They’re very fortunate that they were here or they would’ve lost the whole roof of the building,” Northern Lakes Fire District public information officer Chris Larson said.

The fire started above the ceiling tiles and fire sprinkler system in the main entry hall, so the fire would’ve gone unchecked before crews arrived if staff hadn’t been there, Larson said.

“Our crews were able to get up on the roof pretty quick and extinguish it,” Larson said. “If we had winds or time, it definitely would’ve spread.”

Compass Construction, the emergency on-call construction company contracted with the school district, arrived within hours and began cleaning up damaged material and assessing the repairs.

“School is going to open on time,” Larson said. “All those kids and parents, don’t fret. The school is going to be ready opening day.”

The damage was minimal, he said. Some water damage, ceiling damage and roughly 60 square feet of roof damage will all be repaired quickly.