Crime & Safety

Dacula Elementary Briefly Evacuated

Smoke odor from air conditioning unit to blame.

UPDATED 9:53 A.M. - Smoke odor caused by a burned out air conditioning unit resulted in the temporary evacuation of this morning.

According to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services public information officer Capt. Tommy Rutledge, firefighters were called to the school shortly after 8:15 a.m. in response to an odor of smoke.

"There was no sign of fire and no actual smoke inside the building when the fire department arrived," Rutlede said.

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Firefighters determined the odor originated from an overheated air conditioning unit. Crews disconnected the fan blower and turned the scene over to maintenance personnel for repairs.

The incident occurred about half an hour before classes were scheduled to begin. The students remained outside the building until approximately 8:35 a.m., Rutledge said.

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"The school did a great job of making sure that the students and staff were safely evacuated and provided necessary information to responding firefighters," Rutledge said. "This was minor incident and was quickly brought under control by school officials and the fire department."

The school returned to normal operation by 9 a.m.


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