Scarsdale HS Evacuated Monday, Some Classes Moved

SCARSDALE, NY — Scarsdale High School was evacuated briefly Monday after a non-hazardous chemical overheated and set off a smoke detector. Principal Kenneth Bonamo said students were outside for about 25 minutes, but then re-located science classes to the gym.

In a letter to the community, he said the incident started at 9:39 a.m. due to a tripped smoke detector in a science lab.

"We believe that the smoke alarm was initiated by a laboratory chemical that was overheated in that classroom. The chemical is considered non-hazardous and is comprised of non-hazardous ingredients including mineral oil and inert thermoplastic rubber, according to the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet," he said in a memo to the community. "Firefighters on site cleared the area of smoke before they allowed us back into the building. The Fire Department did initial testing for volatile organic materials and none were detected.

"However, upon their return to the science wing, some students and teachers reported smelling an unpleasant odor. The HVAC ventilation system automatically shut off during the evacuation but came back on for a brief time during re-entry before we could manually shut it again. Once we did that, out of an abundance of caution we relocated classes in the science wing (classrooms in the 280s, 290s, 380s, and 390s) to the gymnasium and asked anyone who felt unwell to report to the nurses’ office immediately."

The Scarsdale Fire Department called in a Hazmat team to further evaluate the space, he said.

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