Science equipment sparks fire at Christian Liberty Academy

Science equipment caught fire Sunday at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, causing minor damage to items inside the school building, officials said.

Crews responded about 8:55 a.m. to an activated fire alarm at the school, 502 West Euclid Ave., said Battalion Chief Bill Essling of the Arlington Heights Fire Department. Once inside, firefighters found smoke in the hallway, which led them to a small fire in the science lab, he said.

The fire was not structural and appeared to have been caused by tabletop lab equipment, which caught fire for an unknown reason, Essling said. Nobody was inside the building at the time.

Authorities are investigating the fire, which was extinguished quickly, he said, though crews remained on the scene to ventilate smoke from the school.

The fire caused about $1,000 in damage to the building's contents, as well as some smoke damage, Essling said, but the school is otherwise safe for occupancy.