On Thursday, September 7th, there was a fire in the Palestine High School cafeteria.

Peg was in the building still working at 4:00 p.m. when the alarm went off in the school, and so, after calling 911, she called Mr. Will.  Mr.Will says, “I came at 4:00 and there was a bunch of smoke in the cafeteria.”

One of the workers that was doing exterior work and using a heat gun had accidentally caught the wood between two windows on fire. Mr.Will got to the cafeteria and used a fire extinguisher on where he thought the fire was. He couldn’t actually see the fire because of all the smoke. The local fire department came swiftly, and thanks to their prompt action, the fire was quickly contained, and there was minimal damage to the school.

School was still able to be held the day after, but students ate in the gym or outside instead of the cafeteria because of the residual smoky smell. The school had a professional cleaning company come over the weekend to clean the cafeteria, the teachers lounge, and the kitchen, making all three areas usable again.

 “We would like to show our gratitude to the LaMotte Township Fire Department inclusive of our local dispatch, ambulance services, and police department as well as the dedicated custodial and maintenance staff for their swift response and collaborative efforts in handling the situation,” said Jessica Sisil in a press release published on the school’s facebook page and sent out to all students and parents.