Small Fire Forces Evacuation Of S.J. Montgomery Elementary School

Students at S.J. Montgomery Elementary School are safe after a small scare earlier Thursday.

A small bathroom fire caused students to evacuate to Lafayette High School, while Lafayette Firefighters took care of the fire and Acadian ambulance checked to make sure there were no injuries. Fortunately, there were no injuries to report.

Alton Trahan with the Lafayette Fire Department says the fire happened in the restroom near the kindergarten wing, causing moderate damage to it. Investigators say the fire was set by a five-year-old female student who was playing with a lighter in the bathroom, which she brought to school from home. Trahan says toilet paper was set on fire which ignited the plastic toilet paper dispenser.

The hallways near the restroom sustained minor smoke damage.

The school will be closed on Friday.