Two firetrucks arrived at LZHS on September 4. They were called in response to smoke in the boys’ PE locker room caused by an air conditioning unit motor that burned out, Ryan Rubenstein, assistant principal of facilities and activities, said.

“There was enough smoke to set off the alarms,” Rubenstein said. “By the time we got there, there was no fire that we could see, just a lot of smoke.”

The arrival of the second firetruck made the situation appear more serious than it was, said Rubenstein.

“At first they couldn’t locate where the fire was, so they called the second firetruck because that’s what they do when they can’t find the source. But those guys [from the second truck] ended up just sitting on the truck because we found what we were looking for,” Rubenstein said. “The alarm that has been tripped blinks, and we found the blinking one after a little while.”

Firemen entered the school while the student body stood waiting across the street for about 20 to 25 minutes during seventh period. The Lake Zurich Fire Department ruled the school safe and the day resumed for eighth and ninth periods. Minimal damage occured.

“There was no damage other than the replacement of the burnt out motor. All the PE classes were outside by then, so no students were close,” said Rubenstein.

The evacuation of the school after the alarms rang went smoothly, according to Rubenstein.

“I appreciated everyone getting out so quickly. Special thanks to the seventh period lunch classes. There are 200 to 300 kids in that period, and they got out of the school easily,” Rubenstein said. “It was 85 degrees and nice, so hopefully the time felt shorter [to the students outside].”