[SuperJon]

Today Eastern Guilford High School (between Greensboro and Burlington) had a massive fire. The school is still burning now. Thankfully every student and staff member is accounted for but the school will have to be bulldozed and rebuilt. Parts of the roof has already collapsed. Just pray these kids can make the transition to whereever they get sent.

GIBSONVILLE, N.C. -- A fire at a Triad high school Wednesday forced the evacuation of the school, sent a firefighter to the hospital and caused an interior collapse at the building.

Eastern Guilford High School likely will be closed the rest of the week, said Tony Scales of the Guilford County Schools system. Scales said a decision would be made later about next week's classes and that parents would be notified. No decision has been made on the school's football game Friday.

Guilford County school superintendent Terry Grier said officials would meet Wednesday night to come up with plans for the 1,064 students who attend the school.


"It's looking like it will be a long-range situation," said Grier, who called the damage extensive.

The incident occurred at about 2 p.m. at the school on Peeden Drive. Authorities said the fire started in the chemistry classroom of teacher Thomas Hefner. Hefner has been a teacher at the school since 1992.

Hefner tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but was unable to do so, Grier said.

More than 20 units and 100 firefighters responded to the scene. Students and faculty were sent to nearby Bethel Presbyterian Church.

The injured firefighter's name wasn't immediately released. He was in stable condition at an area hospital.

"The smoke definitely had the smell of chemicals," said WXII 12's Nicole Jacobs. "The minute I walked on the scene, I started to cough. It's very thick. There may be a concern about students with breathing difficulties like asthma."

Officials, however, said the fire and fumes shouldn't cause a health threat or concern for residents in the area.

WXII 12's Bill O'Neil spoke with students in the chemistry lab where the explosion is believed to have taken place. "You know kids, it takes a lot to scare them. They weren't frightened at all," O'Neil said.

Chris Caudill, 16, said he was eating his lunch at the high school when he heard the fire alarm.

"At first, it seemed like a joke," Caudill said, adding that he soon fled the building.

Extra precautions were taken to keep students at a nearby middle school in class until the area was secure.

Students told O'Neil that the evacuation went smoothly. He said school buses picked up students at the church.

Guilford County Fire Marshal Alan Perdue said there was no sprinkler system at the school, which was built in 1974.

WXII 12 Weather Plus chief meteorologist Lanie Pope said it was better that Wednesday's incident occurred when it did as opposed to Thursday or Friday, when winds are expected to pick up. Winds were blowing Wednesday from the southwest, meaning people living northeast of the school were experiencing the most smoke.

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

This is my high school - class of '80- we are the Wildcats or catamounts - just like Western Carolina. Its a very sad day. The school is about 3 miles from the farm where I grew up. My brother-in-law - who is a firefighter - believes the fire department may have caused the fire to be worse than it started out to be in the way they chose to fight it. My grandfather was the first janitor and my dad was a county school maintenance HVAC worker so I had access to places that most students couldn't go and I helped my grandfather set things up before the school even opened. What's really weird is being able to watch it burn via streaming internet video from the local tv station WFMY as I sit in my family room in Charlottesville. Oh well hopefully they will build an even better school. I think Guilford county now has a high school for every compass point - or at least Northern Guilford was under construction, plus Jamestown. Pray for the 900+ students who are now displaced and in need of a place or places to continue their education.

[SuperJon]

They have over 1000 students now, and you were right about the Wildcats. I have a friend who graduated there in 05. I've played baseball there and the school was in our conference. I watched a lot of it on WXII's website.


One positive out of this is it is where Torry Holt went to high school. Knowing what type of man Holt is, it would not surprise me whatsoever if he put up some money to help with the new school.

[Jasmen8182]

The librarian told me the other day that school had closed in our city due to vandalim of the buses; I said good to know- that my kids don't have to ride them....

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

Yeah Torrey is a great guy - my mom taught him in kindergarten at Gibsonville elementary. It was either after he was drafted into the NFL or after St. Louis won the Super Bowl, he came back to Gibsonville Elementary and personally presented a gift to every student at the school. G'ville's other claim to fame is being the home of Kay Yow and Debbie Yow - Kay coaches NC State's women's bb team and Debbie was (not sure if she still is) the first female A.D. at Maryland. My sister told me that the fire made it into the attic of the school which wasn't divided by fire walls so the fire spread throughout the building via the attic. The fire fighters couldn't get to it from inside because it was literally raining hot tar from the roof - in fact some almost got trapped by it. When the tried to fight it from outside by punching holes in the roof, the oxygen fed the fire and caused it to become even more intense. What a tragedy. Everything in the building was lost, including personal belongings of the students along with trophies, band uniforms, instruments etc. The estimate for the building alone - no contents - 18.5 million.

[SuperJon]

The football stuff was in a different building so they're going to try to play their game on Friday night. They play at Southern Guilford.