Payson Roundup

It was a worst-case scenario for a former U.S. Forest Service firefighter turned fire alarm installer Wednesday, when he inadvertently started a fire at Payson High School.

The alarm specialist was installing a new fire alarm system in the high school’s wood shop around 10:30 a.m. While drilling into the ceiling, the drill bit hit a gas line, starting a small leak, said Payson Fire Chief Marty deMasi.

Realizing he had created a leak, the man alerted everyone in the building and called 911. After calling authorities, the man, whose brother is a deputy fire chief in Peoria, attempted to turn off gas to the building.

While searching for the shut-off valve, a small fire ignited in the ceiling.

Several school staff members saw smoke seeping out of a vent and used an extinguisher to put out the fire.

SemStream Arizona Propane quickly arrived on scene and cut off gas to the building.

By the time firefighters arrived, the fire was out. Damage to the building was minimal and contained to the ceiling, deMasi said.

The high school received a grant to install a new fire alarm system over the summer. Many of the fire alarms in the school’s buildings do not meet fire code.

“The alarm system was not completely connected,” deMasi said. “It was old and outdated.”

Crews are installing new smoke and heat detectors along with hallway pull panels that are connected to a central network. If a fire breaks out in one part of the school, an alarm will notify everyone on campus.