SANTA CLARA, Utah - A fire evacuated a local preschool Wednesday. Flames broke out in a nearby shed, but they quickly spread toward the preschool.
Shining Star Preschool is run out of the home of Trudy Carlson. Santa Clara Fire Chief Dan Nelson said the fire started when someone who lives at the home had been welding near the outdoor shed, and when they came back, found smoke and flames.
“The wind was just laying the flames over and directly impacting this other structure,” Nelson said. “It moved very rapidly.”
Neighbors say there were four small children attending preschool when the fire broke out. They were taken next door until parents could come get them. The fire did damage one wall and the attic of the preschool. Neighbor Gretchen Graf also lost part of their fence, and a storage shed.
“I went up to Trudy, the girl next door and said, “don’t worry about our house, don’t worry about our fence, don’t worry about our shed, as long as everybody was OK,'" Graf said.
Firefighters from Santa Clara, Ivins and St. George all responded. They put out the fire quickly, but extensive damage means the building will have to be shut down until repairs are made. Carlson says it means classes are done for the spring, but she plans to repair the building and open up again in the fall.
