The day ended early for students at Ecole Laura Secord Wednesday after a fire broke out outside the building.
Construction materials piled up outside the school caught fire.
The fire happened over the lunch hour, about five minutes before students were going to return to class. There were no students inside the building but they were playing on the playground nearby.
Staff members that were inside were able to make it out safely. Two children were taken to hospital for precautionary treatment and a firefighter was treated for smoke inhilation.
"I was down at the fence and everyone was screaming," said Carter Cooper-Forrest, a Grade 1 student. "I didn't know what was going on, then I saw the smoke."
Fire officials said a large amount of styfrofoam construction material is what initially started the fire. They're still working to find out how it started. The flames destroyed part of the exterior, including some windows.
"Near those windows were scorched really bad from the heat but the fire didn't extend into the building but a lot of the smoke did," said Assistant Chief Bill Clark of the Winnipeg Fire Department.
The fire department checked the school to make sure no one was inside. Students were taken to a nearby community centre. It's a procedure handled during routine fire drills.
"The evacuation went smoothly and everyone was accounted for," said Rita Hildahl of the Winnipeg School Division.
Melissa Chandler-Weins is a lunch supervisor and also has children that attend the school. She says the staff did everything to make sure the kids were safe. "Some of the kids were freaked out but more freaked out about their backpacks and stuffies more than anything, but we tried to keep them calm," she said.
Parents who picked up their children say they are relieved everyone is fine but say a fire is still devastating to the school.
"You realize what your attachment is to the school. For us, we live right across the street, this is our home."
Students at the elementary school will have a few more days off. Crews were working Thursday to repair the damage and clean the facility.
Officials said the pace of cleanup efforts on the weekend will determine whether classes will resume on Tuesday. The school received extensive smoke damage, but little fire damage.
Officials also advised parents to check the board's website for more information.
Fire officials have not yet determined how the fire started. A damage estimate is also not yet available.
