NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Seven NOFD units rushed to Saint Augustine High School around 5 p.m. Thursday evening.
A fire had erupted in the gym on the second floor. First responders on the scene could also see smoke coming from the windows.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the gyn area, but there was also damage to the roof.
NOFD Public Information Officer Edwin Holmes reported the school was closed and no one was inside in a press briefing shortly after the fire was extinguished.
The commotion interrupted the Thanksgiving holiday for Claire Gaudin and her great-grandniece, Chloe.
“I told everybody let’s go back inside because you could smell it and were inhaling all of the black smoke, so I said let’s go back inside and enjoy Thanksgiving,” Gaudin told WGNO.
“All I saw was smoke and firemen, and I think I’m allergic to smoke,” Chloe added.
No one was hurt during the incident. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.