Batavia High evacuated after furnace overheats

Batavia High School was briefly evacuated Friday evening after the fire department responded to a report of smoke in the hallway, officials said.

Batavia Fire Chief Chief Randy Deicke said crews were dispatched to the high school, 1201 Main St., after a fire alarm went off between 7:30 and 8 p.m.

“We had an overheated furnace up in the ceiling area,” he said. “It overheated and caused some smoke in the building.”

When firefighters received the call, he said, “We had a report from somebody inside the building saying that they had smoke in one of the hallways.

A basketball game was going on at the time. It was interrupted when firefighters evacuated the building.

The Batavia Fire Department did not have information on exactly how many people were evacuated, but Deicke said evacuees waited outside while firefighters determined the nature of the problem.

Deicke said the problem was solved by shutting off the power to the furnace, and there is no need for further investigation.

“The unit is shut off,” he said. “We told them to have a mechanical guy come out and take a look at it.”