Charlton, MA — January 13th — On January 13, the middle school in the town had a fire alarm activated, prompting the Charlton Fire Department in Massachusetts to respond. In the afternoon, units C-1 and E-1 were sent to look into the alarm. The cause was identified by the fire department as steam from kitchen cleaning activities that set off a detector. There was no fire or emergency situation discovered. The facility was evacuated in a systematic manner by school authorities who according to established safety protocols. Students and staff were permitted to return and immediately start their regular activities after the building was inspected and found to be safe. Such incidents demonstrate the importance of regular drills and unambiguous communication between emergency services and schools.