ADAMS, NY - At 1:28 P.M. on January 26th, Adams FD received an automatic fire alarm system activation from the South Jefferson Central School Bruce C. Clarke building at 11060 US Route 11 in the Town of Adams.

The Jefferson County 911 center also received the alarm and dispatched Adams Center and Lorraine Fire Departments as automatic mutual aid. As Adams Engine 1-4-1 with a crew of four was arriving, the 911 Center advised units they had received a phone call from the school indicating there was a fire in a dryer in the basement at the rear of the building.

A second-alarm was transmitted, adding Belleville and Mannsville-Manor Fire Departments and South Jefferson Rescue Squad to the incident. The building was evacuated upon arrival and school officials had cleared the drive in the parking lot for apparatus. Lines were advanced into the basement area and onto the roof.

The fire was confined to a large commercial clothes dryer and its vent system. There was a significant amount of smoke in the basement and first-floor area above the fire which required ventilation of those areas. School buses were brought to the school and approximately 1,000 students were transported to the Wilson Elementary school building in Adams Center and dismissed or picked up by parents at Tops Plaza next to the school. The school was reopened from 3 to 6 PM to allow students to pick up personal items left inside due to the fire.