Crime & Safety

Dumpster Fire Fills Parts of Stoughton High with Smoke

Monday afternoon's dumpster fire took almost two hours to extinguish.

A large dumpster fire filled much of the first and second floors of with smoke Monday afternoon, Joel Harding, the Supervisor of Support Services for the Schools said.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. on July 16 at the dumpster behind the D-Building of Stoughton High, near the greenhouse on the D1 Science wing. The dumpster is located near the SHS outdoor track.

A typical dumpster fire is out pretty quickly, Harding said, but this fire took about two hours to wet down and extinguish, Stoughton Fire Captain Scott Breen said.

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The flames reached about 10 feet above the dumpster, with smoke billowing above that and around the area.

Just a couple of minutes after the fire started, smoke filled parts of the school. Harding said the smoke primarily spread to the D 1st, E 1st, D 2nd, E 2nd and B 2nd hallways, as well as the gym area.

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As a result of the smoke, the fire alarms went off and the school was safely evacuated.

Harding said there was no smoke damage that he was aware of, but there was an odor of smoke left behind.

Stoughton High School and the football field/track will be closed for the rest of Monday, July 16, as a result, according to a release sent out by the school.

However, the plan is for summer school to be in session on Tuesday, July 17, Harding said.

Firefighters used 400 feet of hose to reach the dumpster and extinguish the fire.

The dumpster was filled with old plastic chairs, old table and desktops, cardboard and other materials the result of traditional summertime classroom cleaning, Harding said.

The official cause of the fire is under investigation, but Breen suggested that it wasn't due to "natural" causes.


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