<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1fYvPv_0vm2cgZ500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1fYvPv_0vm2cgZ500" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Students were evacuated Sept. 17 and multiple fire and rescue units responded to reports of a fire originating in the welding workshop of the Academies of Loudoun. Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now</figcaption></figure>Academies of Loudoun students returned to the building Sept. 23 after a fire broke out Sept. 17 in the welding classroom, causing an estimated $1 million in damage. School was closed to students and staff last week because of a strong odor that remained, according to emails from Assistant Principal Rob Rimmel.Repairs to the building are underway and the welding classroom remains closed, according to division spokesperson Dan Adams. Welding students will continue with the program through other lessons and assignments in other classrooms.“All other classrooms and programs are continuing unaffected,” he said.Around 1 p.m. Sept 17 fire-rescue crews were called to the school after dispatchers received a 911 call from the alarm company reporting a pull-station activation at the school. The on-site school resource officer then reported heavy smoke in the boiler room. The fire was located in the fume extraction system in the welding classroom. Students and faculty safely evacuated from the building. Crews worked for nearly an hour to fully extinguish the fire. A Mobile Ventilation Unit was brought in to assist in the ventilation of the building.The Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office said the cause of the fire was an accident, noting that students had been welding earlier and said debris or a spark got into the hopper starting the fire. One firefighter and one adult civilian sustained minor injuries and were transported to area hospitals for treatment. There were no reported student injuries. The fire alarm and sprinkler system functioned as designed, according to the report.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Repairs Underway After Fire at Academies of Loudoun Classroom

Academies of Loudoun students returned to the building Sept. 23 after a fire broke out Sept. 17 in the welding classroom, causing an estimated $1 million in damage. School was closed to students and staff last week because of a strong odor that remained, according to emails from Assistant Principal Rob Rimmel.