New Castle – The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office has determined that a fire inside a New Castle, Delaware middle school this morning was accidental.
The blaze, reported shortly before 11:00 am, occurred at the George Read Middle School located at 314 East Basin Road. The Wilmington Manor Fire Company responded to the fire.
State fire investigators were called to the scene and conducted the investigation. The fire was caused by a malfunctioning clothes dryer located in the maintenance area of the school. The fire was contained to the dryer and no damage occurred to the building.
Fire damage was estimated at $5,000. There were no reported injuries.
The fire was minor with no injuries. Students were outside for approximately 25 minutes until the scene was cleared by the fire department, according to Colonial Public Information Officer Lauren Wilson
Wilson said that a custodian put some mops in a dryer and left the room. Shortly after alarms went off and students were evacuated. The custodians realized rugs on top of the dryer had caught fire. The custodians were able to extinguish the flames before the fire fighters arrived.
Voters in today’s referendum were not effected as George Read is not a polling place.
