Fire breaks out at Shaw Ave. school

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Fire and school officials reported a fire that broke out on the roof of the Shaw Avenue Elementary School building Monday evening. There were no reported injuries.

At around 6 p.m. a custodian at the school notified Valley Stream firefighters of heavy smoke in one of the classrooms, according to Fire Chief Eugene O’Brien. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters proceeded to open the classroom ceiling, he said, and discovered the smoke was coming from above the metal roof decking of the building.

After locating the fire, O’Brien said firefighters called neighboring departments to assist with the blaze, which was extinguished quickly with heavy smoke and water damage contained to the classroom.

The cause of the fire did not appear to be suspicious, he said, noting that there had been construction earlier in the day around where the fire started.

District 30 Schools Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Stirling said the fire, which occurred on the roof over the entrance to the new wing at the school, did not disrupt the start of classes the next day. He thanked the firefighters and a handful of school officials for their help, and in particular, custodian Bob Gruner, for his actions which helped minimize the spread of the fire.