A fire in the boys restroom of the C-building caused large amounts of smoke to surround the area and several staff members to respond to the scene during fifth period Monday.

Mrs. Debbie Prentice works in the College and Career Center, directly next to the restroom where the fire occurred. “I smelled smoke through the vent, and it kept getting stronger and stronger,” she said. “Two boys came in and said they saw smoke, so I ran out, and Mr. [Corey] Reynolds came out too.”

Many other teachers in the C-building noticed the scene as well. “I smelled smoke and came out, but I had no clue what happened,” said Ms. Lori Pristera, English 2 teacher.

Though many staff members got involved in the occurrence, Cam High Deputy Sean Eskridge said that the fire was “no big deal.”

“The only thing really burnt was paper,” he said. “I’ve never seen this happen before, but it was nothing big.”

Cam High associate principal Mrs. Alexis Ortiz along with several other administrators and staff members declined to comment on the issue.

Speculation among students and staff in the C-building is that a cigarette could have started the fire, but that theory has not been proven. Cigarette smoking is illegal on school campuses.

Prentice said that Mr. Reynolds, band director, put the fire out. “It was crazy; the whole thing happened within five minutes,” she said. “Our response team was very quick.”