PEABODY — A small fire broke out around 11:40 a.m. Friday in a laptop at Higgins Middle School, 85 Perkins St.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Richard Nelson, the cause of the fire was related to a battery issue within a student’s laptop. The laptop was either being used by the student or in the student’s possession at the time it began to smoke or catch fire, Nelson said.
He added that the fire was small and that once the fire alarms went off, the building was evacuated. Soon after, the fire department arrived and tested the air for smoke conditions.
“There was a small amount of carbon monoxide, so we brought fans in and zeroed out the building,” Nelson noted. Once the building was safe to occupy, the faculty and students were allowed back inside. Afterward, the fire department assumed possession of the laptop.
