Smoking Bleacher Motor Prompts Evacuation at State High

An intramural basketball game at State College Area High School heated up on Friday afternoon, but it wasn’t thanks to the action on the court.

A bleacher motor in the school’s North Building gymnasium began sparking and smoking at around 3 p.m., according to a news release from the school district. The bleacher motor is used to extend and retract the bleachers from their housing along the wall.

Custodians noticed the smoking motor and took quick action. School staff used a fire extinguisher to tame the motor, which sparked up due to faulty wiring, says the release.

Administrators evacuated approximately 150 students in attendance at the basketball game. Alpha Fire Company was called to the scene, but a fire alarm was not pulled and the entire building was not evacuated. 

Firefighters used a thermal imager to survey the building and deemed the facility to be safe, though the game was not resumed. School was dismissed at 3:16 p.m. as usual.

There is no recognizable visual damage to the gymnasium and post-school activities in the facility are being held as planned.

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