SPANISH FORK, Utah, March 22, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Students at Maple Mountain High School were evacuated Tuesday after a fire started in the school’s woodshop, injuring a firefighter and causing an estimated $50,000 in damage, Spanish Fork city officials said.
Fire crews were dispatched about 1:45 p.m. after smoke was observed coming from the dust collector unit attached to the wood shop on the north side of the high school at 51 N. Spanish Fork Parkway, according to a news release.
The fire was contained in the dust collector, but smoke spread throughout the northern parts of the school, the release states.
The Spanish Fork Fire and EMS Department was assisted by Spanish Fork police and fire crews from Salem, Mapleton and the Utah State Fire Marshal’s Office, according to the news release. Crews extinguished the fire within 32 minutes of arriving at the school, the release states.
The fire was started by a welder who was working to repair the dust collector, according to investigators. Material inside the collector was ignited during the repair.
One firefighter was transported to a local hospital, where they were treated for burns and later released. No students came into contact with the smoke, school officials said.
Maple Mountain will resume school Wednesday as scheduled.
