The mayor of Pocahontas, who’s also a teacher, was hurt in an explosion and fire Tuesday in the vocational technology classroom of Pocahontas High School. The state fire marshal’s office says there was heavy smoke found in the wood shop at the school when firefighters arrived about 1:45 Tuesday afternoon.
The teacher, Brian Blomker of Pocahontas, was opening the door on a dust collection unit when there was a flash fire. Blomker was taken to the Pocahontas Community Hospital, then life-flighted to University Hospitals in Iowa City. The extent of his injuries and his condition haven’t been released.
The fire marshal’s office says the fire was continued to the shop and has been ruled accidental. The school was safely evacuated, and no one else was injured.