On Tuesday, December 2nd, all fire departments in both Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown responded to an alarm at the Sleepy Hollow High School, according to Sleepy Hollow’s 2nd Assistant Chief Billy Ryan.
"We had three engines, two ladder trucks and one rescue unit truck at the school," he said.
A fire had been started in a Middle School boy’s bathroom with a roll of toilet paper, in addition to a paper fire in a waste basket. "There was a lot of smoke and the plastic stall also caught fire," Ryan added. It took the firefighters approximately forty-five minutes to clear the bathroom and hall of smoke by opening windows and using exhaust fans.
Prior to the fire department’s arrival school personnel were able to locate and extinguish the flames, according to Suprintendent Howard Smith. The entire school was evacuated and students stood outdoors on a cold day before being redirected to the gymnasium and finally to the auditorium.
There is an open investigation being conducted by the Sleepy Hollow Police Department and the Westchester County Fire Marshall’s office. "Whenever there is a structure burned (in this case the bathroom stall) it is considered arson and has to be investigated, Chief Ryan said. According to Superintendent Smith, several students have been questioned, but at the time this publication went to press no one had been formally charged.
