Fire trucks called to Port Royal Elementary for ‘overheated electrical’ smell

Five fire units responded to a call to Port Royal Elementary School on Paris Avenue on Friday just before lunchtime.

Staff reported an “overheated electrical” smell, which turned out to be a faulty computer modem in the school’s mechanical closet, according to battalion chief Warren Cooler of City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department, which responded to the call around 11:30 a.m. with Burton Fire District.

Firefighters found the modem near the school’s front office, Cooler said.

A member of the school district’s IT department came and removed the modem, which likely had an old battery.

Classes were not interrupted due to the smell, and fire units left the scene around noon, according to a Facebook post by the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department.

This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 1:06 PM.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

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Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.