Sprinkler Coverage Under Review After Fire At Glenbrook South

By Tom Robb | on May 09, 2023

A fire in the wood shop of Glenbrook South High School Thursday, May 4, which evacuated the building. (Photo submitted)

After a fire in the school's wood shop forced the closure of Glenbrook South High School last Friday, district officials said they are in talks to install fire sprinkler suppression systems in areas of the Glenview school that do not have them.

Students returned to Glenbrook South this week after Thursday's fire and large response by emergency crews. "Following last week's fire, multiple crews specializing in disaster recovery cleaned floors, walls, furniture, etc. over the weekend," Dist. 225 officials said in a posting on social media. "Belfor Property Restoration of Northbrook confirmed the air quality in the building is safe."

Crews work to restore a GBS cafeteria kitchen, replacing ceiling tiles from smoke damage from a fire Thursday in the school's wood shop. (GBS Photo)

District officials said clean-up is continuing in areas cordoned off to students and said the cost of that clean-up had not yet been determined as of Monday.

Not all areas of Glenbrook South are covered by sprinkler fire suppression systems, including the wood shop.

"The majority of the areas in our schools have sprinkler systems. However, the area at South where the fire occurred was constructed at a time when sprinklers were not required. The district is taking this opportunity to evaluate the situation and is engaging with firms to discuss adding sprinklers to those areas," Dist. 225 Communications Director Carol Smith said in an email to the Journal Monday.

Glenview Fire Chief Tony DeRose said — and Smith confirmed — that although sprinklers were not covering most of the wood shop, there was a sprinkler head in the paint spray room within the wood shop where the fire occurred. DeRose said Friday there were no sprinkler activations during the fire.

The wood shop is in an older part of the school built in the 1960s before building codes required sprinkler systems.

A small fleet of trucks from a restoration company sat outside GBS this weekend while crews worked to clean up after Thursday's fire inside. (Dist. 225 photo)

"Cleaning and renovation crews removed all smoke from the building and the residual smell of smoke is minimal," Principal Barbara Georges said in a letter to parents Saturday. "Outside fans will continue to run to maximize fresh air circulating in the building."

Firefighters used a truck equipped with a massive fan to vent smoke with Glenbrook South High School after Thursday's fire in the GBS wood shop. (Shawn Clisham/Journal photo)

Some classes, including the wood shop, along with the school's bookstore and test center, have been temporarily relocated.

District officials said 1,400 students were allowed back into the school during the day Friday to retrieve property left in classrooms when fire alarms caused students and staff to evacuate Thursday.

Students returned on a preset schedule emailed to families and were escorted through the building by staff to retrieve their belongings. Smith said that the operation ran smoothly.

Testing scheduled for Friday would see makeup dates announced soon.

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