Published: April 25, 2007 11:08 am      

Fire damages part of Prosser

A Tuesday morning fire forced school to be dismissed early at the C.A. Prosser School of Technology.

The fire broke out around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday in the auto-collision education area in the rear of the school, 4202 Charlestown Road, in New Albany.

New Chapel Fire Chief Jamey Noel said the fire began in the shop area and students and the teacher thought they had it under control. However, following a short break, they noticed heavier smoke and called 911.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but the area did sustain smoke and water damage, according to Noel and Tony Bennett, assistant superintendent for the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp.

New Chapel, Utica, Georgetown and Lafayette volunteer fire departments responded to the call. Noel said the units remained on the scene until the smoke was cleared and to make sure the fire did not spread to other parts of the building. The fire was contained shortly after firefighters arrived.

Students were quickly put on buses and transported back to their home schools. Prosser serves about 1,400 students from Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Crawford and Washington counties. Afternoon classes at Prosser were canceled.

There were no injuries in Tuesday’s fire. Bennett credited the safe evacuation to school safety measures.

The school corporation’s facilities department was going to assess damage Tuesday afternoon. However, school officials said Tuesday they were “99 percent” sure classes would resume today at the vocational school, and they did.

New Albany High School Principal Steve Sipes said students who normally have afternoon classes at Prosser were taken to a large classroom for study hall. Some students, he said, signed out of school if parents were contacted.

He also said if school is delayed by weather, Prosser students are sent to a study hall.

Jeffersonville Principal Steve Morris said his school also lets Prosser students sign out and go home with parental permission if school is interrupted. Others are also placed in a study hall.