A fire at Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett County forced the school to evacuate Tuesday afternoon, leading to delayed dismissal and canceled afternoon activities.
The fire broke out about 2 p.m. and caused “considerable smoke,” Principal Jadd Jarusinski said in an email sent to the school community about 20 minutes after the fire was reported. By then, the fire was extinguished, and no one was hurt, he said.
Students waited outside the school until the fire department gave clearance to enter. That caused end of day dismissal to be delayed, Jarusinski said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution received video of a fire inside a bathroom at the school. The video shows toilet paper and its dispenser in a bathroom stall ablaze, emitting black smoke.
The district was unable to provide any further information about the cause of the fire or extent of damage.
In a second email sent out Tuesday afternoon, Jarusinski said, “information about future access to the building will be shared once a damaged (sic) assessment has been made.”
About the Author
Josh Reyes covers Gwinnett County Public Schools for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A native of Virginia, he wrote about local government and public safety at the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot. He graduated from Christopher Newport University with a B.A. in English.
