GILL — A Gill Elementary School custodian is being praised for his response to an electrical fire on Thursday that stemmed from a classroom light fixture, quickly extinguishing the flames before further damage could occur.
According to a letter sent to district families and staff members by interim Gill-Montague Regional School District Superintendent Tari Thomas, the fire was extinguished by Wayne Eckert, who was the only person inside the elementary school at the time. The site of the fire was evaluated and deemed safe by the Gill Fire Department, allowing school to resume as usual on Friday morning.
Gill Fire Chief William Kimball said the call for service came in at 5:35 p.m. on Thursday and mutual aid was requested from the Turners Falls Fire Department. The cause of the fire was likely an electrical failure within the light fixture in a classroom on the east side of the school. The fire did not extend to any other part of the building, limiting damage.
“[Eckert] was able to take a fire extinguisher and utilize it to take down the fire,” Kimball recounted.
Thomas commended Eckert for his “quick thinking and decisive action,” noting that the school is “very fortunate” that he was able to prevent further damage.
Thomas said Friday morning that Facilities Manager Heath Cummings and other maintenance staff are conducting an “after-accident” review, evaluating all the light fixtures in the elementary school and reviewing the effectiveness of the communication system used to notify students and families of emergencies.
