Massachusetts

Brockton High School evacuated after student's district-issued laptop catches fire

There were no injuries in the incident at Brockton High School, the fire department said

A high school in Brockton, Massachusetts, was evacuated Friday morning after a student's district-issued laptop caught fire.

Brockton Public Schools says students and staff temporarily had to leave the building, as Brockton School Police extinguished the fire, and the town's fire department subsequently responded and gave the all-clear to resume the school day.

The fire department confirms it responded to the high school at 470 Forest Ave. around 10:18 a.m. for a report of a laptop on fire in the core building, which had been evacuated with the fire extinguished prior to firefighters arriving.

The laptop that was on fire was removed using a cell block blanket to the outside of the building, the fire department said. There was minor damage to a table and carpets inside the classroom.

There were no injuries, school officials and the fire department said.

The district's tech services department responded to the high school following the incident and will be conducting spot checks on other district equipment as a precautionary and preventative measure, according to a statement from Brockton Public Schools.

"We are grateful for the quick actions of school police in extinguishing this fire and ensuring student and staff safety," the statement read. "We also appreciate the efforts of the Brockton Fire Department, which utilized special equipment meant for remediating lithium-ion battery fires to make the area safe after this incident."

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