Fire inside Cambridge classroom closes high school

A fire inside a classroom caused the closure of a high school in Cambridge on Wednesday, according to the Waterloo Region District School Board.

Students were sent home from Jacob Hespeler Secondary School on Wednesday after the incident occurred, the board announced at around noon.

“The fire happened in a science class and it was put down in a sink drain,” a board spokesperson told Global News.

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The board said it was uncertain whether students would be able to return to the classrooms on Thursday.

“The issue is this incident left some significant odour. Facilities are onsite and fans are on,” the spokesperson noted.

Firefighters from the Cambridge Fire department were called in to assist but the blaze had been extinguished by the time they arrived.

“The estimated dollar loss is approximately $10,000,” Capt. John Percy told Global News in an email.

The board said that all rental and extracurricular activities were cancelled for Wednesday night.

Later in the afternoon, the board announced that the school would reopen for normal activities on Thursday.