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Tackling dummy fire prompts brief school evacuation

News

November 19th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

A small fire briefly disrupted activities Tuesday afternoon at Abraham Lincoln High School. The Daily NonPareil reports at around 12:15 p.m., an person or persons unknown set fire to a football tackling dummy on a balcony in the school fieldhouse. Council Bluffs Fire Marshal Larry Wohlers told the paper  smoke and flames from the fire activated a sprinkler head about 20 feet above the fire, which distributed water to extinguish the blaze. Wohlers said the fire would have reached a temperature of about 150 degrees to activate the sprinkler.

Firefighters arrived shortly after the activation, advised the school to turn off the sprinkler and began assisting with smoke ventilation. Officials with the school district said the fire occurred on the balcony on the “Home” side of the fieldhouse. Most of the damage caused by the fire affected the tackling dummy. There was also water damage on the balcony and in the music wing at the school, according to the district.

All students at the school were evacuated for about 10 minutes as the fire department handled the incident.Wohlers said the fire was intentionally set, and an arrest in the case is likely.