Student started fire that evacuated Lexington County school, district says

For the second time in less than a week, Gilbert Elementary School was evacuated after a small fire, according to a statement from the Lexington 1 school district.

After a fire broke out in a restroom at about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, school officials reviewed surveillance footage and found a student set the fire, according to a district statement.

Administrators contacted the student’s parents, and the student has been suspended from school, according to the statement. He will be meeting with the district’s hearing officer.

“The district does not tolerate threats to our students’ safety and believes that every child deserves a safe learning environment,” the statement reads.

Students and staff were told to leave the school after the fire broke out, according to the statement.

Gilbert staff noticed the smoke coming out of the restroom and called for the evacuation, according to the statement. All students and faculty were accounted for, according to the statement.

Fire services worked to clear the school Wednesday afternoon after putting out the fire.

Students and teachers were back in the building before 1:15 p.m., though the building still smelled smokey.

Gilbert Elementary was evacuated around lunch time last Thursday after a fire in an electrical closet. No one was injured in the incident, and students and staff were relocated temporarily to the school’s cafeteria.

The cause of that fire is still unclear, and there has been no indication whether or not it was set by the same student.

This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 1:20 PM.