Wyoming Area Catholic students evacuated after fire, no injuries reported

EXETER — A fire at Wyoming Area Catholic School on Tuesday morning prompted evacuation of students, staff and faculty.

Eric Deabill, a Diocese of Scranton spokesperson present at the scene, said the school had accounted for all 174 students who attend Wyoming Area Catholic and that they were all safe. He said there were also no reported injuries to staff or faculty.

There appeared to be damage to the school’s cupola. Wyoming Area Catholic and the diocese stated late Tuesday afternoon that there had been “significant damage to at least two classrooms” and smoke and water damage in other sections of the school. Diocese and school officials could not confirm the cause of the fire Tuesday and indicated the State Police fire marshal was investigating the matter.

Students and staff have been evacuated after a fire broke out around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning at Wyoming Area Catholic School at 1690 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, according to the Wyoming Area Regional Police Department. (Christopher Doyle / Staff Photographer)

Amy Rosencrance, the safety and security coordinator for Wyoming Area Catholic, discussed the fire at a news conference outside the school. She said she was first notified of an issue when a teacher reported that lights were flickering. Rosencrance then inspected the concern at which point, she said, she noticed smoke in a classroom, prompting an evacuation of the school and a triggering of the fire alarm. She estimated that the ordeal began around 10:10 a.m.

While checking to ensure that all students had been evacuated, Rosencrance said she saw parts of two classrooms had caught fire.

“Right now, we’re so thankful,” Rosencrance said. “We’re very thankful to God and everyone else that we were able to get everyone out of the building.”

Rosencrance specifically thanked all school personnel and the children for executing the district’s fire evacuation plan. Ironically, Rosencrance said a fire drill had been scheduled for Tuesday.

“It turned out to be a real, live one, instead of just a drill,” Rosencrance said. “But, I really would like to thank the faculty, the staff, and the students for their cooperation today, because that really helped us get everyone out.”

After their evacuation, students were taken to Wyoming Area Secondary Center. Parents and guardians were instructed to travel there to reunite with their children.

Wyoming Area Superintendent Jon Pollard thanked his district’s school police, buildings-and-grounds officials, and transportation crews for responding to the fire. He also credited Wyoming Area Catholic families, who he said demonstrated “patience and understanding…during a very stressful time.”

“We are deeply relieved that all students and staff are safe, incredibly proud of our staff for jumping into action without hesitation, and grateful to our local first responders for their quick response,” Pollard said. “Helping our neighbors during a crisis is simply what this community does best.”

Michael Ley, whose son Ezra is a second-grade student at Wyoming Area Catholic, described his experience Tuesday morning. He said he was driving home from teaching a yoga class when he received an alert via the Remind platform that there had been a fire in the school. The alert, which Ley said was sent at 10:17 a.m., indicated that all students had been evacuated from the school and asked parents and guardians to await further instructions.

Ley was informed shortly thereafter that the students had been taken to Wyoming Area High School and he reunited with Ezra there.

“This is something you never think is going to happen,” Ley said. “All the time when I was in school, you do fire drills…it’s a good thing they do them, because this actually happens. You never thought it would happen to us, but here we are.”

Ezra Ley, speaking at the scene after the fire, said he noticed signs of a disturbance around his class’s snack time. He said the lights began flickering and his class was told to line up when he noticed smoke.

“Then, when we were up, there was smoke all around everything,” Ezra Ley said.

A host of local fire and ambulance companies, as well as other first responders, were on the scene Tuesday.

“I absolutely thank each and everyone of them for their prompt response,” Rosencrance said. “Their response and how quickly they got here, I’m so thankful for that. Because that really helped contain (the fire) and save this building.

Ezra Ley, the Wyoming Area Catholic second grader, said he felt “good” after the experience.

“The kids were all safe and accounted for,” Michael Ley, Ezra’s father, said. “They did a really good job of planning and getting them out in a timely manner and making sure everybody was safe.”

Exactly what comes next for Wyoming Area Catholic is uncertain, though the district has begun to lay out its plans.

Wyoming Area Catholic parents and guardians received a letter late Tuesday afternoon informing them it was expected that there would be no regular school until after Labor Day, with Sept. 8 being the next anticipated day of class.

On Sept. 8, students are expected to resume class at St. Maria Goretti Parish, which has volunteered its religious-education classrooms for use by the school. The letter, which was signed by Diocese of Scranton Superintendent Kristen Donohue and Wyoming Area Catholic Principal Eileen Rishcoff, stated that the school was “incredibly grateful to the parish” and that the parish was “offering to help as long as necessary while (the) school is being restored.” It also stated that the diocese and school have begun consulting with professionals to evaluate the damage to the school and to determine what restoration work will be necessary before Wyoming Area Catholic can reopen.

Work to help students heal from the experience is underway as well.

The Wyoming Area Catholic community is gathering Wednesday at 11 a.m. at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Laflin to celebrate Mass, which the letter described as an act of “coming together in prayer” and an “important first step in as (they) begin to process what happened and look ahead.” Students can retrieve backpacks and other items they may have left behind for a period of time between the end of Mass and 1 p.m. Counselors will also be on site at St. Maria Goretti to offer students guidance for an half an hour before Mass begins.

“We recognize that an experience like this can be frightening, particularly for our youngest students,” stated the letter to parents and guardians. “We encourage families to talk with their children, listen to their concerns, and reassure them that they are safe and surrounded by people who love and care for them.”

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