Boiler explodes at S. Minneapolis school; No injuries reported
Hundreds of students at Lake Harriet Community School's upper campus in South Minneapolis were herded out into the cold Thursday afternoon after a boiler exploded, KARE 11 reports. No one was injured in the 12:30 p.m. explosion, the station reported.
Seven hundred students were evacuated to a nearby fire station, but schools spokeswoman Larissa Chinwah told KARE that students were soon returned to school for the remainder of the day. The school will retain enough heat until dismissal time, Chinwah said.
On a school website, officials told parents not to come pick up their children. The site says:
"A contained boiler explosion occurred at about 12:30 p.m. at Lake Harriet Community School – Upper Campus. No students or staff members were injured and everyone was evacuated from the site for a short time to a nearby fire station. The Minneapolis Fire Department responded immediately and cleared the building for re-entry.
"Maintaining a safe environment for our students is a top priority. Our facilities team is evaluating the temperature of the building to determine whether learning can continue today. We are working to repair the boiler or see if a second boiler may be used.
"Further communication will be provided this afternoon as we learn more about dismissal today. Questions can be addressed to the Office of Communications at 612.668.0230."
