Video shows students springing into action to put out fire at Massachusetts school
BOSTON - A new video shows students putting out flames that broke out at a Massachusetts middle and high school on Saturday.
It happened at Pentucket Regional Middle High School auditorium in West Newbury on Saturday.
"These students saw an opportunity to make a difference, and they stepped in at that moment," robotics teacher Mo Elhelw said.
Robotics students battle fire
Elhelw says that around a dozen students and five coworkers were working on their yearly robotics project across the hall from the fire. He said that work was being done earlier in the day on the set for the latest theater production.
"It was after they had left, we continued to smell that wood-burning smell of stuff being cut. We realized that there was an open fire," Elhelw explained.
The robotics team sprung into action, grabbing fire extinguishers. They contained the flames until first responders arrived.
"It was about up to my waist, so about three feet high, and then I would say six to ten feet in diameter," Elhelw said. "We were able to knock it down in a few minutes once we got the fire extinguishers on it, so it was a team effort."
Investigators say that preliminary investigation shows that the fire began in a trash barrel full of sawdust. The school is closed through Tuesday due to smoke damage in the auditorium and cafeteria.
The robotics team is now facing its own challenges ahead of their competition next month.
"This has affected the robot we're building right now," Elhelw said.
The team has just five weeks to prepare for the New England District Championships in a few months.
"These robots weigh 150 pounds. They drive 20 miles an hour. They play a full-contact 3v3 game on a steel basketball court. We had a really great season last year. We're really trying to recreate that this year, had a little bump in the road this week," Elhelw said.
The team's first competition is on February 15.
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