Laptop Fire Blamed For Southington School Evacuation: SFD: UPDATE

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Local fire officials said the cause of a fire Wednesday afternoon at Southington High School Wednesday afternoon was a flaming laptop computer.

According to the SFD, at about 12:43 p.m., the department was called to 720 Pleasant St. school was called for a reported fire in a classroom.

When several SFD units arrived, teachers, students, and staff of SHS were evacuating the building.

According to fire officials, Southington Dispatch received a call from the school resource officer stating that a laptop that was on fire was thrown out of a classroom window.

Crews encountered light smoke conditions in the second-floor classroom where the incident occurred, the SFD reported.

Fans were used to ventilate the space of smoke and gases, and atmospheric monitoring equipment was used.

AMR Ambulance Service was requested to the scene as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the SFD said a representative from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was called to the scene.

Firefighters said the fire was contained to the electronic device and extinguished and no civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, the fire is being investigated by the Southington Fire Marshal’s Office and Police Department.

No official cause of the fire was determined, but school and fire officials confirmed they're investigating whether a viral TikTok trend was behind it.

The TikTok challenge includes putting items inside electronic devices like tablets or laptops and short-circuiting them, causing a fire in the process.

Southington Superintendent of Schools Steven Madancy quickly sent out an alert to the SHS community about the fire.

He said school and fire officials are investigating the possibility this incident was linked to the TikTok trend, which has parents and school staffers statewide alarmed.

"We are aware of recent reports involving unsafe social media trends and are investigating all possibilities in coordination with local authorities," Madancy said in a statement.

"We will continue to prioritize student safety and will make sure to provide updates as appropriate."

Madancy confirmed the evacuation and the "building was cleared safely and swiftly, and all students and staff are safe."

He said the evacuation was conducted under standard safety protocols, and "emergency personnel responded immediately."

"We are working with the Southington Fire Department to determine the cause of the incident at this time," Madancy said.

From May 6: 'TikTok Trend Has Students Forcing Items Into Chromebooks: Report'