KINGWOOD — Preston High was dismissed three hours early Thursday after a battery meltdown in an emergency light caught fire.
Principal Steve Plum said it occurred in a second-floor boys bathroom. “It was an accident,” Plum said. “It was not tampered with or anything like that, it was just a malfunctioning battery.”
About 5 minutes before the fire set off an alarm, a student had pulled a fire alarm in the gym, emptying the building. When students and staff returned to the building, the fire set off the alarm, this time for a real event.
“The fumes that it put off of the melting wiring and the melting plastic is why we evacuated,” Plum said.
Students were taken to other parts of the building, and lunch was served before students left. The Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department responded, removing the light and making sure the situation was safe.
After School Explorers has cancelled all activities for Thursday because many sites deal with the PHS buses.
