Mass to be held Wednesday in Laflin
All students and staff were able to safely evacuate Wyoming Area Catholic School during a fire.
Courtesy of the Diocese of Scranton Facebook
EXETER — Students and staff at Wyoming Area Catholic School were evacuated due to a reported fire Tuesday morning, according to the Diocese of Scranton.
All students and staff safely left the school and were transported to Wyoming Area High School where they were to be dismissed, the Diocese of Scranton reported.
Exeter Fire Department along with neighboring fire departments responded to the school where an electrical issue was discovered on the roof.
Eileen Rishcoff, Wyoming Area Catholic School principal, and Kristen Donohue, superintendent, sent a letter to the Wyoming Area Catholic School Families following the fire.
“Today was a day that none of us expected and certainly no one ever wanted to experience. As we reflect on the fire this morning, we are filled with tremendous gratitude to God.
“Most importantly, every student, teacher, staff member, and administrator at our school is safe. No one was injured.
“We must begin by commending our students and staff for the way they responded to this morning’s emergency. With school only beginning last Tuesday, today was scheduled to be our first fire drill of the year. Instead, we found ourselves facing a real-life emergency.
“Just after 10 a.m., a teacher noticed that lights were flickering in the lower end of the hallway, near our younger grades. Administrators immediately went to investigate and noticed smoke in the area. Without hesitation, the decision was made to evacuate the building, and our students and staff exited safely and quickly.”
The Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal is currently investigating the cause of the fire, and it is stated in the letter that two classrooms were significantly damaged. Other areas of the building also have smoke and water damage.
“Their response demonstrated the importance of the safety procedures we practice with our students and the preparedness of our faculty and staff.”
The letter continues on to state there will be a Mass held at Saint Maria Goretti Parish in Laflin at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 2, and that it will also be an opportunity to reunite students with belongings that were left behind during the evacuation. There will also be counselors on site for anyone who may need to talk to someone about Tuesday morning’s incident.
“We recognize that an experience like this can be frightening, particularly for our youngest students,” the letter stated. “We encourage families to talk with their children, listen to their concerns, and reassure them that they are safe and surrounded by people who love and care for them.”
Saint Maria Goretti Parish has also opened its doors to allow the catholic school to temporarily utilize its classroom space while the school is undergoing repairs.
“We are incredibly grateful to the parish for welcoming us and offering to help for as long as necessary while our school building is being restored.”
Wyoming Area Catholic School has already announced that school will be be closed through Labor Day weekend, and Tuesday, Sept. 8, is the anticipated first day back to class for students.
“We are also deeply grateful for the extraordinary response of our local first responders. Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and many other emergency personnel responded quickly and worked together to bring the situation under control, Rischcoff and Donohue stated in the letter. “Their professionalism helped keep our school community safe and we are incredibly thankful to each person who responded today.”
The letter also thanks Wyoming Area School District for giving them a place to gather and care for the students while dealing with the emergency.
Updates will be provided to families as information becomes available.
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