OCEAN PARK — A small electrical appliance was the cause of a fire last month that led to the closure of Ocean Park Elementary for several days, district officials announced.

According to Ocean Beach School District Superintendent Amy Huntley, the March 19 fire originated from an electric tea kettle in a second-story classroom of the grades 3-5 school. No students or staff were in the room at the time the fire began, which happened during OPE’s lunch break.

“Whether or not the kettle was defective will take investigation beyond our local area,” Huntley said March 24.

The activation of the school’s fire alarm at about 11:45 a.m. on March 19 brought a response from Pacific County Fire District No. 1 and other area first responders. Smoke was seen coming from an exterior window on the outside of the building, with fire crews locating and confining the fire to the classroom within 10 minutes of the original dispatch.

PCFD1 described the damage as “minimal,” and no injuries were reported.

The fire led to class being shuttered at OPE through Monday, March 24. In the days following the incident, vehicles from a company specializing in water damage restoration were seen in the school’s parking lot.

Classes resumed March 25, although one classroom was remaining closed for further repairs and OPE’s HVAC system was still in the process of being cleaned. The school deployed space heaters in classrooms, with families being encouraged to dress their children in layers due to the potential for common areas to be chilly.

Further counseling was also being made available to any students who needed additional support.