Units responding to smoke at Riverview School

Principal Andrea Zackery and school staff direct students to Riverview's big gym where they were going to start the school day due to the smoke situation..

Principal Andrea Zackery and school staff direct students to Riverview’s big gym where they were going to start the school day due to the smoke situation..

At about 7 a.m., Silver Lake Fire Department, Randall Fire Department, Salem Fire/Rescue units and village police are responding to a report of smoke at Riverview School in Silver Lake.

UPDATE 7:07 a.m. — Personnel at the scene reports haze and smell of smoke in a hallway in the area of a loading dock. Wheatland Fire Department and Twin Lakes fire departments also responding. Units are staging for now at Prosser and School Streets. Silver Lake Rescue also on scene.

UPDATE 7:15 a.m. — Salem units setting up for water supply at the village boat launch off Cogswell Drive.

UPDATE 7:43 a.m. — Buses still picking up students, but they are being held in the buses at school for now.

UPDATE 8:09 a.m. — We’re at the scene. Students entering school and waiting in the big gym for now. Parent says she was told to expect a regular school day as far as schedule.

UPDATE 8:32 a.m. — Principal Andrea Zackery says the problem was an air handler that malfunctioned sending smoke through the air duct system in the northeast end of the building. Firefighters were ventilating classrooms for kindergarten through fourth grade. Students were gathering in the large gym where Zackery was going to make an announcement about the situation to students and staff and then everyone would go on with a full school day. No damage to the building other than the air handler.

UPDATE 8:33 a.m. — Silver Lake FD command is releasing all units.

UPDATE 10:32 a.m. — I just spoke with district administrator John Gendron who had some additional information to share. The problem was detected by a custodian preparing for the opening of the building about 6:30 a.m. The custodian knew which air handler was the problem and shut it down. The air handler is scheduled to turn on at about 6 a.m. The air handler motor overheated. “There never was a fire,” Gendron said. The area of the building that houses fifth through eighth grades was cleared by fire department for use before classes were scheduled to begin. Third and fourth grades got back into their rooms around 9 a.m. and kindergarten through second grade about 9:30 a.m. Fire department officials have already re-checked the building and found it to be OK and are expected be back again later today to do the same. The emergency alert system was used to notify parents of the situation at around 7:50 a.m. Staff were positioned around the school to direct students and inform parents of the situation. The problem motor has been removed and a replacement has been ordered.

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Firefighters used a fan to help ventilate this hallway.


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A firefighters opened these windows to help ventilate a classroom.

A firefighters opened these windows to help ventilate a classroom.

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