A fire at the Grinnell Middle School about 10:30 last night turned out to be in a laundry room. Fire Chief Dan Sicard says it was a smoky blaze but not very big.
The fire apparently started in a clothes dryer, and he says it sent a considerable amount of smoke through the middle school.
The fire was quickly contained and Chief Sicard had praise for both his firefighters and workers at the school. He says the staff smelled it even before the alarm tripped, and called firefighters who were quick to arrive. The first crews found it and knocked down the fire and despite a lot of smoke nothing’s damaged except the the industrial dryer, which he calls a total loss.
The building’s already been cleaned up, and school officials say classes will be held as usual today.