Kealing Middle School closed for 2nd day after fire damages campus

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Kealing Middle School will be closed Wednesday after a fire on campus caused damage late Monday night.

Tuesday was set to be the first day of classes for the middle school. However, the school was closed so crews could work on repairs.

The Austin Fire Department responded to the school around 10:40 p.m. for a report of “smoke on the second floor with electrical burning smell,” the agency said on social media .

AFD later said it was a two-alarm fire, but said in another update the fire was “under control” and crews were investigating the cause.

The Austin Independent School District said in an email the fire was quickly contained and crews immediately began to air out the school with fans and repair the damage caused by the fire and sprinklers.

In an update Tuesday, AISD said fire, smoke and water damaged the upstairs and downstairs in one area of the school.

A statement from AISD said that any students who need to be on campus for any reason going into Wednesday will have a safe space with activities in the gym and cafeteria, and there will be bagged lunch available for pick-up between 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the back of the school off Salina Street near the gym foyer.

AISD also said the school was empty at the time of the fire and no one was harmed.

AISD said in the email it appeared that the fire was related to an overloaded outlet in a classroom and the fire department does not suspect arson.

“The restoration is developing hour-by-hour, including scrubbing the air, replacing all ceiling tiles and cleaning the HVAC system,” the district said in a media release Tuesday.

AISD continues to explore “a variety of spaces” that can welcome all 1,300 students back to school and said, “unfortunately, we do not have any alternative options.”

The district will continue updating families, who should be prepared for the possibility that students may not return to school until next week, the release said.

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