Fire reported at high school in Columbia, officials say

A fire was reported at a Midlands high school Wednesday morning.

At about 7 a.m., members of the Columbia Fire Department responded to a blaze at Richland Northeast High School. That’s in the area between Decker Boulevard and Interstate 77.

The fire was under control, department spokesman Mike DeSumma told The State at 8:30 a.m.

An HVAC unit on the roof of the building caught fire, which also caused smoke in the building, according to DeSumma.

No injuries were reported, DeSumma said. No students or staff were in danger, Richland Northeast High Principal Mark Sims said in an email to parents.

“I wanted to reach out to you to make sure you had the most accurate information and to reassure you that the safety of our students and staff will continue to be our No. 1 priority,” Sims said.

Both the fire department and principal said the fire was caused by construction in the area of the roof near the HVAC unit.

No students, teachers, or staff were in that part of the school at the time of the fire, according to DeSumma. Only construction workers were located there.

Still, because of water and smoke damages in a classroom beneath the HVAC unit, several classes in that part of the school will have to be moved after the fire department cut off power to that area of the building, DeSumma said.

Sims said the culinary arts classroom was damaged and alternative plans have been made for those students.

“The rest of the school is operating on a regular schedule,” Sims said.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 8:52 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription