BOILER ROOM EXPLOSION AT THE WHALEY CHILDREN'S CENTER BUILDINGS IN FLINT, MI. SMALL FIRE AND DAMAGE IS REPORTED. NO INJURIES.
February
11, 2015
FLINT, MI
--
Children and staff are back inside Whaley Children's Center's administration
and residential buildings after a boiler room explosion in a school
building early Wednesday morning, Feb. 11.
There were
no injuries in the explosion, which happened at about 7:34 a.m. in the school
building's boiler room on the main campus of the facility, which provides
care for children who've been abused or neglected and is located at 1201
N. Grand Traverse Street in Flint.
No children
were in the school at the time of the explosion, and staff promptly evacuated
the building. Children and staff in the residential and administration
buildings on the campus were also evacuated as a precaution, and were cleared
to go back inside at about 8:30 a.m., according to a news release from the
center.
The school
building remains closed as crews continue to inspect the system and assess
damages to the building, according to the release.
Kevin
Roach, president and CEO of Whaley Children's Center, said the center strictly
follows fire and safety regulations, and that staff acted promptly and
appropriately in evacuating the buildings.
"We're
confident that all fire and safety regulations have been followed with approval
from regulating agencies," he said in a written statement. "I applaud
my staff members in their preparedness to implement all emergency evacuation
protocols. Staff followed all procedures and their emergency response was
excellent."
Certified
boiler inspections of the center are completed twice per year, the last
completed Nov. 14, 2014. Additionally, a fire and safety inspection was
completed Jan. 26, 2015, according to the news release.
The exact cause
of the explosion is still under investigation.
Whaley
Children's Center is a nonprofit that provides residential child care
services, including counseling and group homes, to children age 5-17 who have
suffered abuse and neglect.
//________________________________//
FLINT, MI
-- All Whaley Children's Center buildings on the main campus in Flint were
evacuated early Wednesday morning, Feb. 11, after an explosion in the school's
boiler room.
There were
no injuries.
The
explosion happened at 7:34 a.m. in the boiler room, which is located in the
southwest corner of the school building on the main campus at 1201 North Grand
Traverse Street in Flint, said Flint Fire District Commander Mark Kovach.
The
explosion blew out an exterior window and caused some damage to the boiler
room, said Flint Fire Department Chief David Cox, Jr. When crews arrived, there
was a small fire that snuffed itself out, Cox said.
No children
were in that building at the time of the explosion, and staff was quickly
evacuated, said Kevin Roach, president and CEO of Whaley Children's Center.
Everyone,
including children, were evacuated from all other buildings on the campus as a
precaution.
Administrators
were not immediately sure what time children will be allowed back in the
buildings, Roach said, but the school will likely be evacuated all day while
Consumer's Energy and the school's maintenance crews investigate.
If the
explosion would have happened with children in the building, Cox said the
well-built boiler room would have kept them safe.
"It
was a well-built, well-secured door. It did what it was supposed to do.
Everything was contained to the boiler room," Cox said.
No further
information was immediately available.