Crews work around the clock to clean up water damage
Woodstock High School (WHS) officials say students can return to classes on Wednesday, March 12, after a weekend flood inside the building.
In a social media post early Sunday evening, March 9, Woodstock High School administrators told students their March break would be extended by at least a day.
“Due to a major mechanical issue, there will be no school at WHS on Monday, March 10,” the post notes. “We hope to be ready for classes on Tuesday.”
Just after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, the Woodstock Fire Department responded to a fire alarm call at the high school. Once there, firefighters discovered water coming from a sprinkler on an upper floor.
“It was actually caused by an air-handler malfunction on the top floor of B-Wing,” said Anglophone School District West Director of Communications Paul MacIntosh.
After investigating, staff confirmed that an air handler overheated, making a classroom warm enough for the sprinkler to activate.
“That room and the rooms around it, as well as a number of teaching spaces below, have been impacted by water damage,” said MacIntosh on Monday. “This is a case where something small led to a big mess.”
MacIntosh said WHS was lucky that the overheating set off an alarm, which immediately alerted the fire department. MacIntosh said that there was never any fire or risk of a fire.
“We caught it very quickly,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
A cleanup team worked through the night and is still on site today.
In a social media post on Monday afternoon, WHS officials thanked custodial and facilities staff for their extra hard work since the incident.
“However, due to the ongoing clean-up, there will be no classes at Woodstock High School on Tuesday, March 11,” the post stated. “We are planning to resume classes on Wednesday, March 12.”
