Freezer malfunction caused overnight fire at Statesboro High School, fire chief says

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - A freezer malfunction is the suspected cause of an overnight fire at Statesboro High School, according to Fire Chief Tim Grams. The school’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames before fire crews arrived, and students returned to a normal schedule Monday.

Statesboro Fire Chief Tim Grams said crews were dispatched to a fire alarm at the school just before 1 a.m. Sunday and found moderate smoke in a concession stand area upon arrival.

“They found moderate smoke in the cafeteria concession stand area, of course they made entry and realized the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system,” Grams said.

Fire contained to concession stand

The sprinkler system activated when the fire started, knocking down the flames before they could spread. The fire began and ended within the concession stand, causing no additional fire or water damage. Students returning Monday said they saw no visible damage inside the school.

“The sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do and limited the spread of the fire,” Grams said.

Student Zoe Hill said she was surprised to hear about the fire but expressed confidence in the school’s safety.

“Honestly, I feel very safe,” Hill said. “I feel like this school is pretty, pretty good at keeping stuff well and secure.”

No foul play suspected

An initial cause and origin investigation found no evidence of foul play. Grams said investigators are fairly confident the fire started due to a freezer malfunction, consistent with what crews observed on scene. No arson investigation is underway.

“We’re fairly confident that it was, you know, the freezer that malfunctioned, and that’s where the fire had started, it’s consistent with everything that we had seen, so no further investigation was warranted at that point,” Grams said.

Fire chief urges regular system testing

Grams said the incident underscores the importance of fire suppression systems in homes, schools, and businesses — and keeping them properly maintained.

“Keep the fire from becoming more devastating, right, so you know these systems are required to be tested annually and kept up, and this is a prime example of why that is,” Grams said.

Bulloch County Schools thanked the Statesboro Fire Department in a statement Sunday. The district said school leaders worked through the remainder of the weekend to ensure students could return to a normal schedule Monday.