North Harford High School students were temporarily evacuated to two nearby schools after a heating problem sparked a fire at the school Wednesday morning, Harford County fire and school officials reported.
Students were returning to the building at about 11 a.m. after the fire was reported an hour earlier, Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association spokesman Rich Gardiner said.
Temperatures in Pylesville where the school is located were below 25 degrees, with a wind chill of less than 12 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
No one was injured in the fire, which was caused by a malfunctioning heating element, Gardiner said.
Firefighters from several companies battled smoke inside a second-floor office at the school, he said.
The fire was mitigated and the building was cleared within about an hour, said.
Gardiner did not know exactly how long students were outside.
"The fire alarm at North Harford High school was activated shortly before 10 a.m. this morning due to smoke in the guidance counselor suite," Harford County Public Schools Manager of Communications Jillian Lader explained via email. "Students and staff were relocated to North Harford Middle school and North Harford Elementary school with the assistance of the Harford County Sheriff's [Office]."
"The fire department and our facilities department were immediately notified and on-site," Lader continued. "They determined that the cause of the smoke was a motor on a heat pump that had locked up. Once the fire department deemed it safe to return to the building, students and staff returned at 11:05 a.m."
North Harford High has 1,393 students, according to the Harford County Public Schools website.