Recently a fire struck the art building at Placer High School.  Kaija Perkins-Uno’s classroom caught on fire in the back room during second period.  No one knows what started the fire.  Perkins-Uno explains, “The official report from the fire department has not yet been released to us.  That means we also don’t know if it was accidental or not.”

There was a rumor going around the campus that it was the projector that went up in flames from overheating but this rumor is not true.  “We don’t know what caused the fire but we do know it wasn’t the projector” states Perkins-Uno.  The things that were on fire in the back room were a lot of important files from Perkins-Uno’s college, student work, art that Perkins-Uno had done during her own time in school, frames, things that the former art teacher, Larry, had done, and many other items.  “There were a lot of personal items that were in the fire” says Perkins-Uno.  Toby Covich, the ceramics teacher says, “Everything that was on fire was in big tubs and boxes.”

Perkins-Uno explains the moment it happened, “a student came up to me and told me there was a fire.  At first I didn’t believe him but I started seeing the smoke.  I told everyone to get out, pull the alarm and go get Toby.”  Covich describes his side of the story, “I heard the alarm first.  Then Mrs. Lee, who was working with a special ED student, came in and told me there was a fire.  I got my students out the back door then grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to Kaija’s room.  She was on the counter opening the windows so the smoke would go out. As I went to the back room I saw the flames, they were already to the ceiling.  I started to spray them until the fire was out but it just started again.”

Eventually, Perkins-Uno and Covich had to evacuate the room.  Perkins-Uno states, “The smoke was the real problem.  I had to crouch down to avoid the smoke and get out of the room.”  Covich, who stayed in the room longer than Perkins-Uno, said “I had to crawl to get out of the room.”  Once Covich was out, he explained how he tried to call the office but got no response because they had evacuated, then called 911 to tell them where the fire was.  He then joined his class who were lined up and waiting on the lawn.

Everyone in the art building was told to evacuate to the lawn in the front of the art building.  Then, because it was raining, all of the students were moved to the gym where they were told to sit in the bleachers and on the floor with their classes.  “My kids were great!” Perkins-Uno explains, “They really listened to directions and were able to organize on the lawn while I was in the room still.  One of my students even took role for me.”

“The fire department, the school as well as our resource officer Carlos, did a great job moving and directing kids to the gym.  I don’t think, for this situation, that it could have possibly gone better,” Explains Covich.

The whole back portion of Perkins-Uno was charred and thus had to be completely gutted.  Perkins-Uno says, “There was a pretty good amount of damage.  There was a cabinet with all of the students work that might have made it built probably not.  The smoke damaged things the most.  Every drawer and cabinet in the class room had to be cleared and scrubbed.”

The back room had to be gutted, however, Perkins-Uno was not told a cost for the reconstruction, “They haven’t told me a cost but the insurance company has been really great.”

Covich leaves three points of advice for anyone in a similar situation, “First, don’t hesitate to pull the fire alarm, the more time to get out the better.  Second, direct the fire department as best you can.  And lastly, don’t jeopardize yourself; you are not a firefighter so let them do their job.”