Akron’s Ellet High School will be closed again Tuesday, as crews continue to clean up from a weekend fire that damaged the southeast portion of the building that houses the school’s construction program.
Cleanup crews spent hours at the school on Monday, clearing standing water and a smoke odor that permeated much of the building on Woolf Avenue, said Mark Williamson, spokesman for Akron Public Schools.
Akron firefighters responded to a fire alarm in the building about 11 p.m. Saturday. They found light smoke filling the hallways, located the fire and extinguished it within an hour.
The fire is believed to have started in the construction program’s building maintenance office. The program is part of the district’s Career Technical Education curriculum.
Because of the size of the building, the fire was elevated to a second alarm, which doubled the response to four fire engines and two ladder trucks. Firefighters also used a system on one of the trucks to ventilate the building before leaving the scene.
Akron Fire Lt. Sierjie Lash said investigators are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire but do not suspect arson. The fire caused an undetermined amount of damage and no injuries were reported.
Williamson said a decision on when to open the school will be made on a day-to-day basis.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.