Early morning fire calls for a change in School routine

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

An early morning fire Monday, Aug. 18, on Powhatan Street sent Louisa East Elementary School kids to the Middle School until buses could get to the school for drop-offs.

The Louisa Fire Department responded just after 5 a.m. to the fully engulfed structure just across the street from the school.

Fire Chief Eddie Preston notified the schools that the streets would be blocked for an unknown period of time and buses would be unable to do the normal morning drop-off.

It was then the decision was made to take them to the Louisa Middle School where Lawrence County Superintendent Katie Webb said everything went very well with the unexpected change of plans in the morning routine.

“We got the call just after five o’clock and immediately came up with a plan,” said Webb. “We had the buses take the kids to the middle school where they were fed breakfast and kept until the call came that the roads were cleared just before 9 a.m. and they could be transported to the elementary school.”

The superintendent said she was well pleased with way the middle school cafeteria handled the situation and were able to kick into quick action to make sure all the children were fed and taken care of at the last minute.

No one was home when the structure fire started and Kentucky State Police are investigating the incident.

The fire department, however, was called back to the same area later that afternoon when the fire reignited causing the vacant house next door to catch on fire. Fire fighters were able to quickly knock out the flames and get both fires under control and extinguished.