BEVERLY — A pair of small brush fires just off Route 128 caused an impromptu fire drill at North Beverly Elementary School yesterday afternoon.
The school's fire alarm did not go off, but all of the nearly 400 students were quickly evacuated from the building.
"We had a couple teachers smell smoke, so we decided to do the safe thing and get everyone out of the building," Principal Jennifer Flewelling said.
The two fires, both off Exit 19, were quickly put out, said Capt. Chris Halloran of the Beverly Fire Department.
"These are the first two brush fires of the year; usually my guys are in the woods for days," he said.
Halloran said the school's fan intake system likely sucked in smoke from the nearby fires.
North Beverly Elementary usually has a planned fire drill early in the school year.
This year, "we're getting a jump on it," Flewelling said. "Each classroom did a wonderful job" during the evacuation.
The students were only out of the classroom about six minutes, then it was back to the books.







