GRANADA HILLS, Calif. — Hundreds of students were evacuated Thursday morning following a rooftop fire at a Granada Hills high school.
The fire broke out just after 10 a.m. at John F. Kennedy High School, ABC reports. The building where the fire started — an old school library — was under construction and empty, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
“We did have a significant roof fire, and all that insulation burned and had a large smoke column throughout the San Fernando Valley that people could see and were worried,” said LAFD Public Information Officer Erik Scott.
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Students were initially evacuated to the football field but the smoke began billowing in that direction, forcing them to move to the baseball field. Ground images showed large plumes of black smoke coming from the building.
The fire was extinguished within 25 minutes and no injuries were reported. LAFD said no additional structures were threatened.
Granada Hills High School Parents Voice Concerns Over Reunification Plans
The evacuated students were ultimately taken to a guardian pick-up area around 10:50 a.m. Parents shared frustrations over the school’s reunification plans.
“It was ridiculous,” one parent said. “They call us to come and get our kids, but then tell us to get a slip to take them out, then they don’t let you into the office to get the slip.”
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Parents who arrived at the school were reportedly met with blocked roads and little to no parking. Students were waiting behind a fence blocked by officers from the Los Angeles police officers and were not released despite having a slip, parents said. Some students resorted to jumping over the fence.
A parent told ABC she is concerned that a lack of emergency planning could have significant repercussions if a more serious event were to occur on campus.
Kennedy High School, which is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has an enrollment of over 2,000 students.
