Kemper faculty and students were required to evacuate Kemper Elementary School around 8:22 a.m., according to an alert email sent out by the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 school district at 8:48 a.m.
The first day of the 2024-25 school year had just gotten started when fire alarms rang out, leading to the evacuation of all in the building.
The alert sent by the district said maintenance work on the HVAC system at Kemper caused an excess of smoke that triggered the alarms, and there was no emergency that entailed prolonged evacuation or the need for parents or guardians to come to the school.
After the alarm rang out, the Cortez Fire Department arrived on scene only one minute later to ensure the safety of students and find the source of the smoke.
“Staff and students were evacuated, the building was cleared and CFD approved for everyone to return to the building,” the district said. “Parents do not need to take action at this time.”
